Support Available for Young People & Families
The NHS suggests young people need 8-10 hours’ sleep on a school night to perform at their best, but with circadian rhythms changing during adolescence this can be challenging. Due to changes in hormone levels and the body releasing melatonin later in the day teenagers will often not be sleepier until later at night. It is important young people learn about this and focus on strategies to ensure they can get a good nights sleep. Poor sleep patterns are often associated with the emergence of ‘always available’ social media with many teenagers staying up into the early morning maintaining their online presence. Recently, this has been made worse with the lockdowns and lack of formal structure in the day.
There are lots of helpful resources for young people and families. We also include ‘Sleep Hygiene’ in our PSE programme from S1- S5.
The below links may be helpful for young people-
There are also many podcasts available that can discuss the issues with sleep in children, teenagers and adults. Many also have playlists of music/ repetitive sounds to help you sleep. The Head Space App is also helpful for relaxing the mind often aiding a good nights sleep.
Parent/ Carer Support-
We are here to offer support so please don’t hesitate to call the school or email your child’s PSL if you would like to discuss anything.
The below links may also be helpful in supporting your child to adopt a healthy sleep routine-
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/teens-and-sleep (this is based on an American study but is relevant to young people in Scotland too)
As ever, if you would like to share any information with us or have a chat please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Pupil Support Leader (PSL).