Summer break is usually a time when teenagers get the chance to relax and have fun. Typically, unless they have an early morning job, teens usually find the time to get enough sleep, if not extra. When the school year comes around and a definite routine is made, students have to switch from a laid back summer to the busy school year. With school also comes loads of homework, stress, and for the average teenager, a restless night. They are often up all night doing homework, playing video games, watching Netflix, or out on the town, and then have to wake up the next morning at seven AM for school. But little do they know, there is more to sleep deprivation than just being tired the next day. 

According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, teenagers between the ages of 13-18 should be receiving between eight to ten hours of sleep every night. For the average teenager, this isn’t always the case. 

 During sleep, the body goes through many different stages. The first stage of sleep is when your body shifts from being awake to sleeping. This stage only lasts minutes and consists of your muscles relaxing causing your heartbeat to decrease. The second stage is light sleep, which occurs before deep sleep. Your muscles then relax further, and your heartbeat and breathing reduces. 

Stage three, which is often times the most important stage, is deep sleep. If you feel refreshed in the morning, it is because your deep sleep stage was fulfilled. During this stage your heartbeat, breathing, and muscles relax to their lowest levels. If awoken during this stage, you have a hard time fully waking up and finding the energy to get out of bed. For most students in the morning, they know how that feels. 

The body also goes through a stage called REM sleep. It does not belong to a certain stage, but your body cycles back and forth between REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep is usually when your most vivid dreams occur. Your breathing is faster and irregular, and your heart rate reaches levels similar to when you are awake. Your muscles are paralyzed; therefore, disallowing you to act out your dreams. All stages are important and necessary for a good’s night rest; however, for teenagers, not all stages are reaching their full potential. 

Too many kids are not going to bed early enough to get a good night’s rest, and a lot of them are suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation. Without the right amount of deep sleep, your brain has trouble absorbing information and passing it to your memory. Your muscles and body can also have a harder time developing because of a lack of sleep. No teenager should make the mistake of spending countless hours trying to better their grades or become fit in the gym and then ruin it by not getting enough sleep. Intelligence, strength, and growth is not made right on the spot, but actually when the body is sleeping. 

Emotions and hormones are also affected by fatigue. Teenagers’ emotions and mental state rise when they aren’t getting adequate sleep. If there are so many benefits from the laziest thing a body can do, then why is it neglected? 

If you want to live life to your full potential, start with a good night’s rest. Here is a list of things you can start doing now to achieve that goal:

1. Get off your phone, computer, and television one to two hours before bedtime. The screens on those devices radiate blue light, which causes your brain to think that it is still daytime and thus leaving you awake. 
2. Use night shift screen displays or invest in blue light glasses. For me, I am often doing my homework at night on my computer or using quizlet on my phone or ipad. What I do to avoid the blue light is change my display settings. Apple, Samsung, and Android devices give you the option to change your display settings to an orange screen (Night Shift). This screen removes the blue light, and is even softer and gentler to your eyes in the night time. If you want to have even more blue light coverage, look into blue light glasses. You can find these glasses for very cheap; plus they don’t have to be stylish because no one will see them!
3. Read a book! This allows you to get tired faster and even promotes better sleep. There are even more benefits to reading before bed, like improving brain power and creativity. 
4. Take a bath! Baths are relaxing as it is, and the heat calms your body. 
5. Do not drink caffeine, eat lots of carbs, or workout before bedtime. This sends your body into a hyper mode, which is most definitely not going to help with your sleep deprivation issue. 
6. Make sure your room is dark. Do not let outside lights stop your body from falling asleep! 

If you follow these tips, but still can’t sleep at night because your brain is non-stop running, then practice breathing techniques while you are laying in bed. You can simply google certain breathing patterns that will send your body into sleep mode. Soldiers practice these breathing techniques all the time, and you should too! Practicing meditation and even using certain essential oils can also help to improve sleep.  

At the end of the day, getting your priorities straight is the most important rule in the book for a good’s night rest. If you are up all night feeding bad habits, like binge watching tv or being out too late, then you are bound to have a restless night. Sleep earlier, sleep more, and watch your life change for the better.