How much sleep do you really need?
Find out if you’re sleeping enough 😴
Quick summary 📝
1️⃣ Sleep matters: for teens, sleep is like fuel. When your body's changing, sleep helps you focus, stay healthy, and relax
2️⃣ How much sleep: on average it’s 8-10 hours for teens, but it's different for everyone
3️⃣ How to work out if you’re sleeping enough:
- You wake up happy: feeling fresh in the morning is a good sign
- Snoozing your alarm: you may need more sleep
- Coffee lover: relying on caffeine? Could be lack of sleep
- Daytime nap: if you’re napping in the day, you may need to get more hours in at night
- Feeling moody: lack of sleep can make you feel irritable and down
4️⃣ Get help if needed: if lack of sleep messes with your day, talk to someone you trust, like a parent or doctor
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Sleep is one of the most important things for a teenager’s health. Particularly during puberty, the body goes through a lot of changes and needs the rest that sleep provides. Getting good quality sleep helps to maintain concentration, keep you physically healthy and even reduce stress levels 😌
Teens need on average 8-10 hours of good quality sleep every night. But remember, this is just an average – some people need more or less than this. What luna recommends is that you sleep for the time that benefits you. A good sleep is one that leaves you feeling refreshed and energised, and works with your schedule.
Here are some ways to work out if you’re sleeping enough:
- Do you wake up feeling refreshed or groggy? Feeling refreshed and ready for your day is a sign of good sleep. Some people feel groggy if they’ve not slept enough or slept too much 🛌
- Do you snooze your alarm a lot? If you snooze your alarm, this might be a sign that you need some more sleep in the morning ⏰
- Are you relying heavily on caffeine? While a little bit of tea or coffee can be great sometimes, relying a lot on the caffeine from these drinks may be a sign that you aren’t sleeping enough and need that energy to stay awake ☕
- Do you nap during the day? Feeling really tired throughout the day or falling asleep during the day can be a sign you’re not getting enough sleep 💤
- How do you feel in yourself? Poor sleep affects how you feel, which in turn impacts your mood, concentration and friendships. Your emotions are a good thing to log to keep track of how much sleep is affecting you (luna’s got a tracker to help with that) 💛
If poor sleep is having a big effect on your life, your physical health, or mental health, it’s really important to get some help from a trusted adult like a parent or a health professional like your GP. Mental health and sleep have a co-dependent relationship so if one’s not doing so well, it’s important to get the other checked out ❤️
How we answered this question:
luna's team of experts comprises GPs, Dermatologists, Safeguarding Leads and Junior Doctors as well as Medical Students with specialised interests in paediatric care, mental health and gynaecology. Questions are answered and reviewed by this team.
Sources:
How much sleep do I need?
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/how-much-sleep.htmlNHS 'Sleep'
https://camhs.hacw.nhs.uk/sleep/Sleep Foundation 'How to determine poor quality sleep'
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/how-to-determine-poor-quality-sleep