The older we get, the easier it is to see opportunities for embedding healthy habits into our lives. As an adult, you know that you should be eating more vegetables and exercising whenever you can. However, teenagers and children don’t always know how to look after themselves properly. More often than not, teens prioritise socialising and fun over self-care, which can mean that their health and sleeping patterns suffer.
The good news is that parents can help their teens to improve their health in various ways. For instance, by changing the environment that your teen sleeps in, you could encourage them to get a better quality of rest.
Here are 7 ways to create a better sleeping environment for teens.
1. Give Them Control
First, make sure that your teenager is actually going to bed at the right time each night. Scientists say that teenagers generally need more sleep than adults, but most of them spend all night playing games and responding to texts, which means that they often get less rest than they need.
One way to improve your teen’s chances of going to bed at the right time every day is to give them an environment they feel comfortable in. Don’t force them to sleep in a bedroom that you would find comfortable. Let them work with you to design a new bedroom from the ground up.
Ditch The Tech
Although it’s important to give your teenagers some control over their sleeping environment, there is one thing that you should be taking a stand on – and that’s tech. Any smartphones or tablets with blue light needs to be taken out of the bedroom or switched off when your child goes to bed. Studies constantly show that blue light disrupts the sleep by damaging the circadian rhythm. What’s more, if your teenager has access to their smartphone when they go to bed, they might not be able to resist the temptation to use it.
Although phones, tablets, and similar electronics aren’t a good idea for the bedroom, that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all tech. Things like white-noise machines that block out sound can actually make it easier to access a better quality of sleep.
Keep The Room Cool
As we go to bed each night, our body temperature begins to drop to prepare us for slumber. Keeping a room cool can help to aid the process of getting to sleep. For your teen, this means they are less likely to wake up during the night. Encourage your teenagers to keep their bedroom as cool as possible, which may entail keeping the heating on low during cold months or using an air conditioner during warmer weather. This is especially important if you have a memory foam mattress as according to Sleep Report, they can sometimes get hotter.
Get Them To Open The Curtains
While exposure to light in the evening when you’re trying to rest can be detrimental, exposure to natural light in the morning is excellent for your sleeping rhythms. If you want to improve your teenager’s self-care routine, encourage them to open their blinds or curtains every morning and soak up the sun. Getting exposure to natural light will remind their brain that it’s time to be awake and help to keep their circadian rhythm in check.
If possible, it might be worth getting your teen to go out with you into the sunlight for a little walk each morning to boost their exposure to the sun.
Get Rid Of The Clutter
As difficult as it can be to get your child to tidy their room at any age – it’s one of the best things that they can do to instantly boost their quality of sleep. The truth is that clutter in any room has a detrimental impact on our minds and may increase our chances of feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Getting rid of excess clutter can make a bedroom feel more welcoming and comfortable, so your teen is more likely to relax at night.
One effective way to optimize space and minimize clutter is by considering BedKingdom‘s teenager loft beds. These loft beds provide ample storage options, such as built-in shelves, drawers, or desks, allowing your teen to keep their belongings organized and easily accessible. By utilizing the storage features of these loft beds, your teenager can create a clean and inviting environment that promotes relaxation and better sleep hygiene.
Consider asking your teenager to take part in a huge spring cleaning session with you where you can all get rid of the things that you no longer need around the home.
Invest In Extra Tools
We mentioned above that a white noise machine can be helpful if your teenager is often woken up by outside noises during the night. However, there are other tools that they can use to improve their quality of sleep too. For instance, a set of black-out blinds is a great investment to stop light from getting into the room during the early hours of the morning.
If a white noise machine doesn’t work for your teen, then you could also consider earplugs or even a radio with soothing music that is conducive to sleep. However, if you do opt for the radio…
Keep It Quiet
Loud noise or music doesn’t help anyone get to sleep. Ask your child to keep their music to a minimum, particularly late at night when other people are settling down. Invest in a pair of headphones if needs be.
*collaborative post
