6 reasons why teens feel tired even after enough sleep

Parents will find it common for teens to complain about feeling tired even though they are getting enough sleep. Eight or nine hours in bed doesn’t always equate to feeling refreshed in the morning. Teens, however, will associate feeling tired with rapid growth, hormonal changes, and lifestyle issues rather than feeling lazy. Awareness on how teens can feel tired even though they have been well-rested can help in resolving the underlying cause of this rising problem.

Puberty involves changes in the body’s natural sleep cycle. This occurs because of the delay in the release of melatonin in teens. This particular hormone triggers the body to feel sleepy. This results in teenagers feeling alert at night but sleepy in the mornings. Despite sleeping for the required number of hours, sleeping late at night due to school time constraints can cause teens to feel tired.

“Teenage years can also include schoolyard drama, social obligations, and emotional changes. Stress and/or anxiety can actually block deep and refreshing sleep, even if that teenage person does enough sleeping.” The thinking part of the brain can be very active, thinking about all the emotions that have been experienced. Therefore, sleep can be negatively affected, and teens can feel “mentally spent and exhausted” despite adequate amounts of sleep.

All sleep is not created equal. Teens may be sleeping many hours but not experiencing the stages of deep sleep because of frequent arousals from sleep. Stimulation from noises, light, and an unfavorable sleeping environment can disturb sleep stages. Inadequate stages of deep sleep result in the body and mind not feeling refreshed so that they feel tired the next morning.

Phones, tablets, and laptops are one of the leading causes of teen fatigue. Blue light emitted from screens prevents the production of melatonin in teens’ bodies. This makes it hard to slip into deep sleep. Scrolling or gaming at night keeps teens’ minds awake. This compromises teens’ quality of sleep despite them sleeping for many hours. They end up sleeping lightly and feeling less refreshed.

Teenage bodies are experiencing vigorous growth sprees and hormonal levels. Such processes require additional energy, thereby causing fatigue. The human body relies on sleep for rest as well as for growth and repair. Teenage individuals may require additional sleep even if they are actually getting adequate sleep due to growth processes.

Poor diet, dehydration, or poor exercise habits can all be factors in fatigue. Missing meals, eating too much junk food, or not drinking enough water impacts the degree of energy. On the other hand, poor exercise habits may impact the quality of sleep. A healthy diet, exercise, and staying hydrated are essential for teens to feel energetic all day long.