We've all been there as parents, breakfast is sat on the table slowly turning to mush, whilst we run up and down the stairs with " its time to get up !" constantly coming out of our mouths, seemingly on a loop.
By the time they get to their breakfast, it now resembles something the cat spat out, and then comes the obligatory huffing, and perhaps accusations of trying to starve or poison them begins.
So why do teenagers find it so difficult to get out of bed?
Well, there is a valid reason for it and it's all to do with our sleep/wake cycle, which is also known as our circadian rhythms.
Our circadian rhythm dictates when we feel wide awake or really sleepy, and all this is controlled by a tiny little part of the brain called the hypothalamus.
Our eyes will send a signal to this tiny part of our brains just to let it know its dark outside, then the hypothalamus will tell our bodies to release melatonin just to make us sleepy.
Good sleep habits help us to promote this process, but there are times when we interrupt our cycles, like jet lag, daylight savings and perhaps staying up to watch a late-night film.
So how does this help me understand why teenagers find it so difficult?
Well adolescents whilst they still have a sleep/wake cycle, the release of melatonin is delayed and suppressed, making it even more difficult for them to fall asleep and why they seem to be still wide awake at midnight!
Now when we consider the average teenager needs 8-10 hours sleep a night..... its no wonder they have to drag themselves out of bed!
So you see, teenagers do have a reason, it's like they have permanent jet lag!
Many parents and families can find this really frustrating, but this is perfectly natural, you see whilst we as parents may be worried that they are staying up too late and perhaps talking to their friends on Instagram they are just being teenagers, I guess we as parents will just have to learn to make their breakfast a little later.
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