Article Advise

submitted: Aug 25th 2008 | by: DonaldSaunders | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 623 | |

It has been believed for a time now that too little or low quality sleep in teens results in a drop in grades in school, however it was not until recently that a study confirmed that teenage children with bad sleeping habits do indeed have lower grade point averages.

Below are 10 tips to ensure that a healthy child enjoys the level of sleep needed to do well in school.

Tip 1. Do not take any strenuous exercise within several hours of going to bed. If you want to play baseball or engage in other sports or strenuous activities then do these shortly after finishing school and not an two or three hours before bedtime.

Tip 2. Although teenagers will frequently spend a lot of time in their bedroom turning it into more of a 'living' than a 'sleeping' room, avoid the temptation to use the bed for anything other than sleeping. Do not sit in bed, playing games, writing, watching TV, reading or anything else but reserve it solely for sleeping so that your body learns to associate climbing into bed with going to sleep.

Tip 3. Set a regular time for going to bed and do not vary this time by more than a matter of a few minutes from one day to the next.

Tip 4. At bedtime make sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark and cool. Do not shut your bedroom up, turn up the heat and climb into bed to watch TV. Instead, lower the heat, open the window a bit if you can to let in some fresh air and make the room as dark as possible.

Tip 5. Do not be tempted to take a nap in the afternoon after school. If you do find that you are so tired that you are unable to keep your eyes open then take a nap but limit it to no more than 45 minutes or an hour.

Tip 6. Do not be tempted to take a nap in the afternoon after school. Should you find that you are so tired that you are unable to keep your eyes open then take a nap but limit it to no more than an hour.

Tip 7. Steer clear of any form of drink containing caffeine after about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. This naturally applies to tea and coffee, but also extends to chocolate drinks and colas.

Tip 8. Make sure that you get up at the same time in the morning, regardless of whether or not it is a school day. Teenagers normally get up late at the weekends and in school holidays and, instead of making you feel better, this simply disrupts your sleep pattern.

Tip 9. At bedtime make sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark and cool. Do not shut the room up, turn up the heat and get into bed to watch TV. Instead, turn the heating down, open the window a little if you can to allow in some fresh air and make the room as dark as you can get it.

Tip 10. Should you find that you are unable to get to sleep within about 15 minutes of climbing into bed then do not simply lie in bed trying to get to sleep, because the harder you try the harder it will get. Instead, get up and do something such as reading a book or listening to some relaxing music. As soon as you start to feel tired, get back into bed and you will be asleep in no time at all.

If you follow these 10 tips you will find that within no time at all the quality of your sleep will improve, you will feel more awake and active during the day and your school grades will be on the up.

About the Author

Help-Me-To-Sleep.com provides information on ways to cure insomnia as well as looking in detail at insomnia in children

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