5 Sleep disorders in adolescents plus its impact on health

Sleep is a time for the body to rest. Unfortunately, sleep disorders often attack and reduce sleep quality. Not only the elderly, sleep disorders can also occur in adolescents. What are the sleep disorders that most often happen to them? Check out the following reviews.

Types of sleep disorders in adolescents

Entering adolescent development, the time for sleeping children is reduced. Not infrequently, sleeping time in the afternoon or evening must be sacrificed because of the many activities.

Taking lessons or various activities at school are some of the reasons. Not to mention, playing habitsgadget before bedtime also often makes them forget the time to sleep late at night.

Sleep disturbance is a condition that commonly occurs in children and adolescents. However, this condition often goes undetected because parents may think that their child has difficulty sleeping normally.

In fact, this condition could be a sign that the child has serious sleep problems.

Not only external factors, some sleep disturbances from within can also cause sleep time to decrease. According to a Cleveland Clinic report, nearly 30% of sleep disorders occur in children and adolescents.

If this condition continues, the quality of sleep will deteriorate. As a result, they cannot fully concentrate in class, are tired, and experience emotional problems, such as depression later in life.

The following is a list of sleep disorders that often lurk in adolescents:

1. Sleep walking

During nightmares, teenagers often experience too sleep walking or sleep walking. In medical terms, this condition is referred to as somnambulism.

It is a behavioral disorder that occurs during deep sleep and results in walking or other complex behaviors.

Although generally not a serious problem, sleep disorders in adolescents can indicate that the child is feeling stressed.

If it gets more intense and occurs frequently in children, you should be more careful and think about treatment because it can cause injury

2. Insomnia

Another type of sleep disorder that often occurs in adolescents is insomnia. Usually, insomnia or insomnia is caused by stress. Therefore, it is not surprising that the quality of children's sleep becomes poor.

Not only that, this condition also makes it difficult for a person to start sleeping, has trouble falling back asleep when he wakes up, or wakes up earlier than he should.

Sleep disorders in adolescents occur because of many things, including:

Sick

When a child is sick, such as a cold, flu, or cough, the symptoms will get worse at night.

In addition, stomach acid reflux and GERD can also cause insomnia because lying down allows stomach acid to rise up into the esophagus.

Experiencing emotional problems

Stress is a common cause of insomnia in adolescents. Things that can trigger stress are problems at school as well as problems in the family, such as parental divorce or domestic violence.

An uncomfortable environment

Sleep also requires comfort. If not, the child may have trouble sleeping until they experience insomnia.

Rooms that are too hot, cold, bright, or noisy can be one reason.

3. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea can occur in children who are overweight or obese. This condition causes the child to have difficulty breathing while sleeping.

The cause is enlarged tonsils or adenoids (the tissue that connects the nose to the throat).

This sleep disorder in adolescents makes them often snore, sweat, and wake up in a state of shock.

If this continues, they will also be more easily drowsy during the day because the quality of sleep is not good.

4. PLMD or RLS

PLMD (Periodic limb movement disorder) is also called periodic limb movement disorder. This sleep disorder in adolescents causes them to make involuntary jerking movements.

Without realizing it, this condition makes them tired and easily wake up during sleep.

Apart from PLMD, there is also an RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) which causes a tingling, cramping, itching, or burning sensation in the feet.

To get rid of this sensation, a child with this condition will move his feet or hands. This condition certainly disturbs sleep because it makes a person unable to sleep in a relaxed manner.

5. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a medical term that describes a condition in which a child can sleep suddenly.

This sleep disorder is a chronic disorder and occurs due to neurological disorders that control sleep activity.

One of the main signs that is happening is daytime drowsiness and having sleep attacks.

A sudden sleep attack means when a person can sleep while doing activities, for example driving or even taking a walk.

Not only that, another characteristic of narcolepsy is a disturbed night's sleep due to frequent waking for no reason.

Therefore, narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that is quite dangerous and can occur in people with an age range of 10 to 25 years.

Sleep time teenagers need

On average, teens spend as much as 7 hours sleeping. In fact, countless studies show that they need 9-9 ½ hours of sleep a night.

At least 8 hours of sleep a night can prevent sleep disturbances in adolescents. Sleep time of 8 to 10 hours per night can prevent physical and mental health problems and disruption of activities the next day.

"Some teens need 10 hours of restful sleep, especially those who are very busy and physically active throughout the day," says Cora Breuner, MD, chair of the Adolescence Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The impact of sleep disorders on adolescents

Teenagers need enough sleep to be able to do activities all day long without being distracted by drowsiness and staying focused.

When sleep disturbances occur in adolescents, the immediate effect is that it is difficult to wake up on time.

In addition, there are several other things that are the impact of sleep disorders on physical and mental health, namely:

1. Mood swings (mood swing)

As is well known, adolescence is a time when children experience quite drastic mood swings due to hormonal changes. However, this can also happen when the child experiences a lack of sleep.

Experiencing sleep disturbances is one of the causes mood swing in most adolescents.

Change mood in adolescents because of this sleep disorder is seen when he becomes more moody and less focused in class.

As a result, he can become more sensitive and angry young as usual.

2. Impaired metabolism

The effects of sleep deprivation due to sleep disturbances in adolescents can also affect metabolism.

In the Nurses' Health Study, it shows the possibility of increasing body weight to obesity in adolescents when sleep time is reduced.

This is due to other hormonal changes in the body and reduces the body's ability to burn calories during sleep.

3. Skin problems

Sleep is important so that the systems in the body can function properly, including the skin. Apart from puberty, acne in adolescents. can appear when your child is sleep deprived.

This happens because hormone levels increase, which triggers inflammation and disrupts the immune system.

Apart from acne, sleep disorders can also trigger other skin problems related to inflammation such as eczema and psoriasis.

What should parents do?

If your teen has one or more of the sleep disorders listed, don't let it.

If only occasionally occurs and no other worrisome symptoms are followed, this may not be a problem.

Conversely, if sleep disorders often occur accompanied by other symptoms or the effects have been detrimental, consult a doctor, psychologist, or child sleep specialist.

For example, when a child experiences insomnia for months, which results in a drastic decrease in learning achievement because he often sleeps in class.

If this happens, do not delay treatment. Sleep disorders that are left untreated can damage the physical and mental health of your children.

Apart from asking for expert help, you can also do several ways, such as:

Ask the child to sleep regularly

Managing teenagers is indeed difficult, especially about sleeping time. However, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is a way to restore the biological clock.

For that, you should first give your child an understanding of the importance of sleeping and waking up at the same time. After that, try to check it into the room when it's bedtime.

Dim the lights in the room an hour before he sleeps, then adjust the room temperature so that it is not too cold or too hot. You can also make warm chocolate milk to help him sleep better.

In the morning, wake him up at the same time every day, even though it may be difficult for your child at first.

Arrange to take a nap not too long

A good nap is one that is not too long or so called power nap. Power nap it only takes 15-20 minutes to restore the lost concentration and energy.

For that, make it a habit for your child to take a nap and wake up after 20 minutes so they don't go too far. This is also done as a way to help overcome sleep disorders in adolescents.

Ask the child to turn off the gadget before bed

Did you know that gadget have blue light that can interfere with someone's sleep time?

Light from the screen gadget can interfere with brain melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that helps a person sleep.

In an effort to deal with sleep disorders, it's best to ask the child to turn off gadget an hour before going to bed.

If the child has difficulty holding back the urge to play gadget, offer a solution. Tell him you can save gadgether and returned it the next morning when she woke up.