Teenagers Disrupt Parents Sleep as Much as Toddlers – How to Fix This

Teenagers Disrupt Parents Sleep as Much as Toddlers – How to Fix This

Parents may feel that sleeping while parenting a newborn is the most disrupted their sleep could become. Waking every few hours, and not getting a full night sleep for weeks on end. 

However, a recent study by Expert Reviews has found that 60% of parents with children aged 4 years and under and 60% of parents with 17-18 year olds say they don’t get enough sleep. 

Parents in general don’t get enough sleep. 51% of parents get less than 7 hours of sleep which is the very minimum that the NHS recommends for adults. When it comes to adults without children, 39% report that they get less than 7 hours of sleep. The NHS recommends that adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night and the study makes it clear that a large proportion of parents fail to meet these requirements and that it’s even worse for parents of babies and toddlers and parents of teenagers.

The number of children living in your household also impacts how much sleep you get. Adults living in households with more children are more inclined to struggle with their sleep.

Contrary to the expectation that a parent’s sleep improves as their children grow up, the survey reveals that parents continue to struggle with sleep, no matter how old their children are.

Why are Teens Impacting their Parents’ Sleep?

So, what’s keeping teens up at night and consequently, the parents? It could be down to screen time. It’s almost impossible to pry teens away from their screens. Whether it’s binge-watching the latest show, scrolling endlessly through social media, or late-night gaming sessions, technology has become the modern-day sleep thief. The blue light emitted by these devices can also cause havoc on circadian rhythms, suppressing melatonin production and making it harder to fall asleep.

Late night socialising, a driving force behind many teenage antics. This includes the constant pinging of messages and late evening hangouts. Worrying about your child making it home after dark is a common concern for parents and could be a factor in parents’ sleep disruption. 

Here are a few tips to prevent teenagers disrupting parental sleep:

• Establish a consistent sleep schedule and clear bedtime rules.
• Encourage exercise to tire your teen.
• Implement a “screens curfew” and encourage teens to put away their devices well before bedtime.
• Lead by example – follow the bedtime rules yourself.

Parenthood often has a significant impact on sleep, and it doesn’t end once your toddler starts sleeping through the night. Consider the above tips to help improve sleep for your whole household.

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