Hi. My name is Susie, I am in Year 11 and I have been involved in the Teen Sleep Hub since last summer. I heard about the project from my school and I felt very strongly that this was a project I would really like to take part in. Personally, I have always needed a lot of sleep and have not been able to function properly without a good night’s shut eye. I have noticed that some of my friends who don’t sleep as much as me have been affected by poor concentration and have been in uncharacteristically bad moods on occasions, seemingly for no other reason than not getting a good night’s sleep. More recently, during my exams and in this academically demanding school year that I am in, as I have been generally more anxious, my sleep has suffered and I have tried to address this by using some of the techniques I have learnt about since being involved in the Teen Sleep Hub.
We live in an age where mental health issues are on the rise, especially for teenagers. I felt that being involved in this project would allow me to learn more about sleep and help to create a platform that will be a go-to resource, specifically for teenagers, and to hopefully contribute to better mental health for all of us. I have really enjoyed being involved in the Teen Sleep Hub and meeting (virtually!) with teenagers from around the country who all have different experiences with sleep. I feel I have learned more about sleep too, and I am proud to be involved in a project that can make a difference to improving teenagers’ mental health.
