The Fastest Way to Help Your Teen Sleep Better

In my experience, the factor that moves the needle the most in my work with teens with insomnia and their parents is connection.

As a parent, you play a critical role in helping your teen take action and stay consistent, because your teen is often exhausted, overwhelmed, and ambivalent.

Because the main task of adolescence is to become independent, teens value their freedom and are supposed to test their parents’ boundaries. As a result, sleep and electronics are, as you know, a huge point of contention.

When the connection is there, the job of helping your teen sleep better is so much easier.

When I meet with a teen who is not interested in or ambivalent about making changes to their sleep, I suggest to parents that they take the focus off sleep and, instead, invest in the relationship. This is the most efficient and impactful way forward.

Even if you have a solid relationship with your teen, the best way to strengthen connection (and have more influence) is regular one-on-one time.

ACTION:

How could you spend one-on-one time with your teen in the next week?

Ideas from parents of teens that have worked best:

• Playing Just Dance
• Watching a movie or show together
• Preparing and/or having a special meal together
• Asking them to tell you about something that really excites them (even if that thing is their favourite video game!)

You need to get creative to find things your teen will buy into but it's worth it. One-on-one time is a game changer.

If you’d like to listen to me talk about the tricky dynamic between teens and their parents as it relates to sleep, listen to this podcast episode.