Teens & Young People

Advice and information for teens and young people

Our aim?

It’s quite simple really. We want you to get the support you need to achieve a good night’s sleep.

Sometimes you may feel you have little or no control over your sleep but we’re here to make sure you get access to accurate, relevant information so you can
make informed choices about your sleep, but also the tools to help you put it into practice.

Together we will empower you to make changes to your own sleep patterns, putting you at the centre of discussions around your sleep needs.

Why better sleep?

Getting better sleep can have a positive impact on all aspects of your life.

From helping the brain retain information (great for memory and revision!) to helping us to look better (think clearer skin and shinier hair) these are just some of the health benefits to sleeping well.

If you live and breathe sport, take stock of your sleep as it can lead to better athletic performance and competitive results.

In all, getting good sleep makes everything better.

Quiz Time!

It’s important to understand what your sleep profile is. Scientists believe that people have inherent differences in when they sleep and wake best – and what you are is partly determined by genetics.

There are three different ones:

  • Owls (people who go to bed late and want to wake up late)
  • Larks (those who go to bed earlier and get up earlier)
  • and All Rounder (those who are more adaptable to sleep schedules)

It helps to know which camp you fit into if you try to improve your sleep.

The Top Tips

Here are some top tips if you are struggling with your sleep.

Why better sleep?

It happens to the best of us. Lots of things can cause us to be anxious – whether that’s school, friendships and relationships, or even home life. The important thing is to deal with the worries so they don’t impact on your mental health and your sleep.

Social Media , Screen Time & Peer Pressure

Screen activity too close to bedtime interferes with your sleep, making it harder to fall asleep and leaving you looking less than fresh the next day– not a good look for that morning Instagram post!

Delayed Sleep Phase

You’re not lazy. You’re just a teen! You can’t help that you release melatonin later in the evening so you feel awake long past bedtime, and that when your alarm goes off for school or college, you just want to crawl back under the duvet.

Time

Run out of time to sleep? It’s no surprise that happens when you’ve fitted in schoolwork, exercising, chores and chatting with family and friends. Something has to give and it’s usually your sleep. But did you know that actually getting a good night’s sleep will make you better at all of the above?

Routine

Is your sleep routine working for you? Bedtime routines aren’t just for little kids you know! Teenagers – and even adults – benefit from a regular routine. Getting to bed at the same time each night and winding down in the hour before bed are key to helping your routine.

Sleeping in the Winter

We know it can be difficult to get a great night’s sleep when it starts getting colder and the nights are getting darker, so we’ve created our list of top tips to help you sleep through the frozen winter nights.

Sleep & Exercise

Exercise doesn’t only help you sleep, but sleep helps you exercise – repeating this cycle can have great effects on your sleep, but also comes with a range of other benefits too.

Remixes to Relax

We have collected our top 5 Spotify playlists to help you get a better night’s sleep. With such a huge range of different music available, we know it can be hard to find the right songs to help you drift off at night.

Children’s Sleep eBook

Get the support you need as a parent/carer of a young person with our Children’s Sleep eBook, free to download now.

If you need to talk to somebody right now,
these organisations can help:

Samaritans – call 116123
Shout – text SHOUT to 85258
Childline – children and young people can call 0800 1111

Download our eBook

Our eBook is packed with bite size relevant pieces of advice and information – backed by science and research – to empower and help you feel more confident in making the right changes to your sleep.

To access the eBook, all you need to do is register with your name and email address below.

It really is that simple!

Problem Sleeping?

Call our National Sleep Helpline, open between 7pm and 9pm Mon/Tues/Thurs and 9am until 11am, Mon/Weds.

03303 530 541