Help. Every year since starting high school, we have had trouble getting our now senior student up in time for school. This is dismissed by him as no big deal. He gets tardies and late arrival for the first month or so. It starts because he does not or will not go to bed and get a reasonable night's sleep. He stays up texting friends (they are up, too) and playing video games until 2 or 3 in the morning. Any magic to help with this?
Teenagers are nocturnal, and your son is no exception. Staying up is a social phenomenon. Lord knows you wouldn't want to miss a thing!
Sleep deprivation in teens is no laughing matter. Their days tend to be too long. Concentration and other so called "executive functions" definitely suffer if too little sleep is on the menu. He might be impressed to learn that performance in sports and driving skills are affected.
The solution, should he care to follow it, is simple. Begin about three weeks before the beginning of school to move bedtime back about 30 minutes every four days. Get up in the morning at the same time one would when school begins. The rub comes in getting a 17- or 18-year-old guy to do it. In addition to their social drives, they are invincible.
Show him this column. Then, if that doesn't work, take him to a doctor who practices in the area of sleep disturbances. Sometimes the drama will help and hearing it from someone in a lab coat makes an impression.
Dr. Richard Ferber has written a book on the topic. It is in paperback and has been around for some time. In fact, I think Dr. Ferber practices out of Children's Hospital in Boston. Ask your pediatrician if he thinks making a referral is in order.
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Dr. Larry Larsen is an Andover psychologist. If you would like to ask a question, or respond to one, you can e-mail him at lrryllrsn@CS.com.
