The Better Health Channel states that teens need around eight to ten hours of sleep, while on average, U.S teens are getting six to seven hours. So how can you get the recommended amount of sleep?

There are many things that prevent us from getting the right amount of sleep we need. These factors include school, friends, electronic devices, caffeine, and stress. These are things that teens deal with every day, and they may be causing sleep problems. To be able to sleep at the time you want, you need to change your life to work with your sleep schedule. Handling school work early, not using your phone in bed, not drinking caffeinated drinks in the evening are all things we can avoid to sleep better. These unhealthy habits are preventing us teens from getting a good night’s sleep.

A TRHS student explained their sleep routine to us and said: “Yeah, I usually use my phone or chromebook before bed, and I just try to sleep once I’m tired. Though I can never fall asleep until like two A.M. or so, even if I am tired. Honestly, I think I have insomnia.” You may think this is pretty normal for teens, but that is not it. As stated by the Sleep Foundation, blue light from electronics like your phone or chromebook can trick your eyes into thinking it’s daytime still, even if it’s the dead of night. This can cause you to stay up for hours, even if you are tired. The best plan to sleep well is to do your homework early, and don’t go and check your phone late at night. Keep nighttime to sleeping, and if you have to use your electronics, use a blue light filter to give your eyes a rest.

Mayo Clinic is an organization all about health and teaching others about healthy choices, and has a few suggestions to help people get the sleep they need. First, they recommend sticking to a sleep schedule, and planning your day around that schedule. On top of that, daytime naps should be restricted as napping during the day can make it harder to fall asleep at night. Second, create a restful environment for yourself, this could mean removing any distractions from sleeping that you have in your bedroom.Third, work on your daytime schedule. This means that teens should get some exercise, manage their homework, and more, all hours before you go to bed. If you can get everything done in the day, during the night you will have less to worry about.

If you can put in the effort to get the recommended amount of sleep at night, your life during the day will improve. Though if this seems literally impossible for you, it could be because you have a condition that prevents you from sleeping. Plenty of teens suffer from insomnia, sleep apnea, and more, which can stop them from getting the sleep they need. If you have any concerns about possibly having a sleep disorder, The Sleep Foundation recommends you talk to your doctor, and maybe you’ll also be able to get the sleep you need. We all need our recommended eight to ten hours of sleep to grow and function, so work hard to try and achieve that.