Teen Sleep Depression

Welcome to the next issue of kidsgoals.com Newsletter.

Shockingly, statistics show that suicide rates among young people has increased dramatically in the last ten years. Many of the symptoms of suicidal feelings are similar to depression. Both depression and suicidal feelings are a treatable mental disorder. In this issue you will an article on adolescent depression. The possible causes, symptoms and treatment. If you are noticing one or more of the symptoms it is imperative that you seek professional help for your child immediately!! On the not quite so serious side our next article deals with teens and sleep. In it you will find tips on how to improve your teens sleep habits.

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2. ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION

Depression In Adolescents.

The occasional bad mood and short periods of feeling sad are very common in adolescence, but when the feelings of hopelessness persist and start to interfere with the child's ability to function normally it may be a sign that something is seriously wrong.

It is sometimes hard for a parent to distinguish between the more serious depression and teen moodiness, which is caused by hormonal changes. Children who are under a lot of stress, who experience the loss of a loved one or have learning or anxiety disorders may be at a higher risk to develop depression, especially if they are girls.

Depression has become more and more common over the last fifty years. Alarmingly, as the teen depression rate rises so does the suicide rate in teens. It is paramount that parents and caregivers are aware the behavior of depressed teens may differ from that of depressed adults.

Many times the early symptoms of teen depression can be a bit difficult to diagnose because they may seem to appear to be a normal part of adolescence. But, depression may be the culprit if your child experiences a higher degree of these symptoms.

• Lack of motivation
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Changes in personal hygiene or appearance
• Prolonged sadness and crying
• Over reacts to criticism
• Lack of concentration or may be extremely forgetful
• Frequent complaints about physical illness such as headaches and back pain
• Inappropriate anger or rage
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits - eating and sleeping too little or too much
• Seems to withdraw from family and friends
• Significant weight loss or weight gain
• Skipping school, sudden decline in grades
• Low self esteem and guilt
• No longer enjoy activities they once found pleasurable
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Talks about death or suicide

If any of these signs of depression persist, parents and caregivers need to seek help for their child immediately. Parents should also recognize that symptoms such as panic attacks, insomnia and hallucinations could indicate extreme depression, which could mean a higher risk for suicide.

Although there is not one real cause for depression some possible triggers may be:

• Certain significant events - such as death of a loved one, parents getting divorced, transferring to a new school, break up with boy or girl friend, in susceptible teens any major change may bring on depression.
• Nutritional deficiencies - could be a certain vitamin or amino acid deficiency
• Stress - especially if the child is without emotional support
• Medical conditions - hypothyroidism can affect hormone balance and influence mood, also any chronic illness can cause depression
• Alcohol or drug abuse - can cause changes in brain chemistry
• Traumatic experiences in early childhood-experiences such as abuse or incest that are not dealt with in early childhood can leave painful memories that may emerge in adolescence
• Allergies - foods such as sugar, wheat products or milk can intensify the symptoms of depressions
• Heredity - genetics, to some degree can influence if a child will be susceptible to depression

Depression is a serious illness that requires both professional help and support from the family. Treatment will sometimes include both family and individual counselling and in many cases the use of an anti depressant is called for. With early intervention the prognosis is usually good if depression is caught and treated early so it is imperative that the parent or caregiver recognizes the signs and seeks the appropriate help.

3. TEENS AND SLEEP

Teenagers sleep less than they did as pre-teens, and there is a lot of pressure on them to do so. Social activities, part time jobs and a natural tendency to be more alert in the late evening all take their toll - but high school still generally starts early in the morning. The net result is that most teenagers do not get enough sleep. What may be a surprise to most parents is that teenagers' sleep requirements are for at least as many hours as younger children!

The discretion to set their own bedtime is usually important to teenagers, but their sleep need is something they are not best positioned to make sensible decisions about, particularly as they usually feel wide awake late at night. There is a natural shift in biological clock during the teen years, which means that teenagers are sleepy in the morning and alert at night. Many parents do not realize that their teens are sleep deprived. Sending their 10 year old to bed at 9pm while the teen is still up, they don't understand that in fact the older child needs just as much sleep!

The 2006 Sleep Poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) found that nearly half of teenagers sleep less than 8 hours on school nights - significantly less than the recommended 9 - 9.5 hours.

Most teenagers sleep in at the weekend to try and catch up on their sleep, which makes the problem even worse as it means they are even more likely to stay up late on Sunday night, a vicious circle that makes them more and more sleepy in the long run.

Teenagers' sleep deprivation is causing lots of problems.

• 28% of high school students fall asleep in school at least once a week
• Insufficient sleep correlates strongly with lower grades
• More than a quarter of teenagers report being too tired to exercise
• The NSF poll also found that lack of sleep in teenagers leads to irritability, anxiety and depression (see our article about depression and teenagers in this issue)
• Worse still, the majority of fall-asleep driving accidents are caused by young people

As a parent, it is important to help your teenager get the sleep he or she needs. Some of the crucial elements to achieve this include: Exposure to light; Bed time routine and sufficient time for sleep; Temperature of the bedroom; and Management of caffeine intake.

Exposure to light:

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to alleviate your teenager's sleep problem is to ensure they get exposed to bright light (preferably sunlight) as early as possible in the morning. Sunlight helps set the biological clock and doing this can help minimize the effect of the teenager's sleep clock naturally changing.

In the evening, encourage dim lights or sunglasses so that the body gets ready for sleep earlier.

Bedtime routine and sufficient time for sleep:

The bottom line is that your teenager's sleep needs to be a priority for you and them. If everything else is more important than sleep, problems are almost unavoidable. Part time jobs, parties, using the PC and telephone late at night, extra-curricular activities - these are all good and helpful things but given the dramatic effect of sleep deprivation on schooling, if school comes before these things then sleep should too.

You should review your teenager's sleep patterns and social commitments together and come up with a plan that allows them a MINIMUM of nine hours in bed every night. In addition, you should have at least an hour before bedtime when use of the PC, watching television and talking on the phone are discouraged. Instead encourage your teen to enjoy relaxing activities like a warm bath, reading for pleasure or listening to (quiet) music. By bedtime your teenager should be relaxed and sleepy!

Temperature of the bedroom:

Teenagers sleep better if their bedroom is cool and dark. Getting to sleep is associated with a body temperature drop and a cool bedroom is conducive to sleep. This is why a warm bath immediately before bed is a good idea if your teenager has trouble dropping off to sleep. The bath elevates the body temperature and the cool room allows this warmth to be lost, promoting sleep.

Caffeine:

Your teenager should be educated on the effect of caffeine on sleep. Sleepy teenagers often use coffee or coke to get them through the day without falling asleep. Caffeine has its uses and if it helps your teenager wake up in the morning a cup of coffee is OK. But what many people don't realize is that the half-life of caffeine in the body is about five hours. So if you have a cup of coffee, five hours later half of the caffeine is still active in your blood stream. A good rule of thumb for teenagers is to stick to decaffeinated drinks after lunchtime.

Using these tips, most teenagers' sleep habits can be improved so that they are alert during the day, getting to sleep at a reasonable time and not using the weekends to catch up on their sleep. However, if you follow these suggestions and your teenager is still having sleep problems, you should make it a priority to consult a doctor in case there are any underlying sleep disorders.

ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS TO COOK WITH YOUR CHILD

• 1 package (6) English muffins
• 1 can pizza sauce
• 1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese
• Desired toppings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Split English muffins and arrange halves on a cookie sheet. Spread desired amount of sauce on each muffin half, top with favorite toppings. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese melts. Serve with soup, salad or cut-up vegetables. Store any leftovers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and reheat under the broiler.

DREAM PILLOW CRAFT

Dream pillows were originally filled with rose petals or flowers for maidens in the olden days to lay their heads on.

Materials:

• 2 pieces of material, any size or shape
• Dried lavender (for insomnia) or other herbs
• Stuffing
• Needle
• Thread
• Essential oils (optional)

Stitch your two pieces of material together along three sides, then turn inside out. Add your dried lavender surrounded by a bit of stuffing to help make the pillow soft and rounded. Don't fill the pillow too full, keep it soft and airy. Then stitch up the opening.

If you want to refresh the scent of your pillow after several weeks, simply add a few drops of essential oils to the outside of the pillow.

You can use other herbs, we suggest lavender as it is said to help you get to sleep.

Source: kidsgoals.com/parent-newsletters-issue10.shtml