Just like fitness and nutrition, sleep issues can predict drug and alcohol problems. Check out the resources that I've been posting for more scientific information on this. So let's talk about this for a moment. Kids need a lot of sleep all the way through their teen years. If you start by establishing good sleep habits from the beginning, like physical activity and nutrition, it's easier to keep it going. And they eventually become strong sleepers on their own.

But there are certain things you can do as a parent to make sure your kids are getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep is a huge problem, especially for teens. And when teens are overtired. They don't think clearly, which can also result in poor decision making. So what can you do? Like I just said, start as young as possible.

But wherever you are, right now, whatever stage you're in, you can start by making small changes. Kids need more more sleep than teens. Kids need about 10 hours of sleep whereas teams need anywhere from eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. If your kid or teen isn't waking up on their own in the morning with minimal issues, it's a huge sign that they're not going to bed early enough. All you need to do is work backwards. What time do they need to wake up?

If the answer is 7am, and they're 14 years old, then they should be going to bed no later than 11pm. Most kids can't just fall asleep immediately, which means the bedtime process should then technically start around 10pm. no kid or teen should ever be allowed to sleep with their phone. If they're currently no worries, just start slow like everything and ease into it. You can start by saying phones off and unplugged by 11pm in the room and then follow through with that every night. That a few days.

A week later, you can say we're moving all the phones to a central spot in the house and I want you to plug your phone in there by 11pm every night, then slowly back it up 10:45pm then a few weeks later 1030 so that way you're not suddenly going from letting them having their phone all night to not having it at all. And you know, teens, they'll rebel if you take things to certain extremes. It's not going to be pretty, right if you do something like that, but just start slow and work backwards. The other thing you'll need to monitor is their television use. Do they have their TV on all night? If so, let them know that you'll be turning it off at 11pm or whatever their bedtime is right and then work backwards from there until they're getting a solid eight to 10 hours of sleep every night depending on their age.

If your teen is having a problem getting to sleep after us Solid routine or has a problem with insomnia, then you may want to take them to the doctor to get it checked out. Insomnia is real, it can have devastating effects on the developing brain. You may need medical attention for your child, but don't immediately jump to that conclusion. When you start making changes in their sleep routine, it's gonna be tough at first and they will have a hard time with it, but it should get easier as you go along. If it doesn't after about 30 days, then just check in with your doctor make an appointment so you can rule out any sleeping conditions.