ASK US

ASK US
A teen needs to know: Why can't I fall asleep?
TEENGROWTH.COM
Q. I am a 15-year-old girl and have a hard time sleeping. I can't fall asleep at night and I'm always tired the next morning. Is this normal? I do not drink coffee or consume any other caffeine.
A. Not being able to fall asleep after going to bed at night, or even waking up after falling asleep or waking up too early in the morning, is usually referred to as insomnia. The causes of insomnia are many and can be either minor or be a symptom of something serious.
Usually in teenagers, insomnia is so frequent that it is almost normal. Recent research has shown that the pattern of sleep in adolescence changes from what it was in childhood. For example, if you were used to going to bed at 10 p.m., you now probably aren't ready to fall sleep until 11 or 11:30 p.m. (No wonder so many teenagers complain that they're not able to fall asleep, and then feel tired at school the next morning) In fact, some schools have delayed the time of their first class until 9 or 9:30 a.m.
Congratulations on not consuming a lot of caffeine. I will assume that you are not taking any other drugs like tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Drug abuse can cause sleep problems.
The most common causes of insomnia -- other that just being a teenager -- are anxiety and pain. You don't mention pain in your question so we can rule that out. However, many teenagers have anxiety about a lot of things going on in their lives. For example, family problems, worrying about being popular with friends, fear of flunking a class, bad experiences such as unpleasant sexual experiences -- all can cause trouble with sleep. A schedule that's just too hectic and busy can cause insomnia.
A really serious cause of insomnia is depression, where you just feel bummed out all the time, guilty and just kind of worthless. If you think that may be the case, talk to your parents about it, or to your school nurse or one of the counselors at school.
Things that may help you sleep include physical exercise during the day, relaxation before bedtime (like a warm bath or shower, relaxing music or a warm glass of milk). Talk to your parents about establishing a later bedtime.
Now, if you find yourself in bed turning and tossing, sit up, turn the light on and read something that may make you sleepy (how about geometry?).
XTo have TeenGrowth's board of physicians answer your health question, visit the Web site (http://www.teengrowth.com) or e-mail feedback@teengrowth.com. TeenGrowth is a noncommercial Internet site that focuses exclusively on the educational health issues of adolescents.