Teen sleep cycles may seem to come from another world. Understand why teen sleep is a challenge — and what you can do to promote better teen sleep.
Teens and Bright Light Therapy
When teens nods off in their morning classes, odds are that they really can’t help it. Although they stayed up late chatting with friends on their computer, they couldn’t have fallen asleep at 11 PM even if they wanted to. In fact, there are biological reasons teens shuffle around in the morning, only half awake, and then come alive in the evening.
Teens’ circadian rhythms shift from a morning preference to an evening preference around the time of puberty. Their internal clocks are out of sync with their early morning school schedules. Research indicates that students become alert and eager to focus around noon.
How does this manifest itself?
Due to changes in teens’ circadian rhythms, they may experience the following:
- Fall asleep in class
- Under perform on school activities and tests
- Appear groggy and grumpy
- Exhibit signs of sleep deprivation
How can teens reset their body clock?
Clinical research now confirms that bright light in specific wavelengths can shift the internal body clock and regulate sleep patterns when used for 15 to 30 minutes upon waking. A teen can reset his or her internal clock by receiving bright light exposure and thereby assist the body in suppressing melatonin during the day, which means he or she will be more alert and able to to focus during the day, and then feel tired at an appropriate bedtime.
General Usage Instructions: The Sunshine System Light is the first personal light therapy product designed to provide specific beneficial rays of the sun with no UV light.
- Typical usage time is 15-60 minutes a day – individual usage time will vary.
- For most applications, usage is once per day, on a daily basis.
- Timing of light exposure is very important, and varies by your individual need.
- The Sunshine System Light should be positioned approximately 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) from your face, and should be offset at a 30 to 45 degree angle, like sunlight coming in a window.
- The Sunshine System Light beam must be directed at your eyes, and your eyes must be open to achieve benefit.
- The Sunshine System Light beam is very bright – like the sun – in order to provide the benefit you seek. You do not stare at the Sunshine System Light– as you do not stare at the sun – although it is not harmful to glance at it occasionally.
- Typically, you will recognize when you've received sufficient light - most often by feeling of heightened alertness, energy, and/or mood.
Usage Instructions for Teens:
- Teens’ circadian rhythms shift from a morning preference to an evening preference around the time of puberty. Their internal clocks are ‘out of sync’ with their early morning school schedules. Research indicates that students become alert and eager to focus around noon.
- Typical usage for bright light exposure is 15-30 minutes each morning, as early as possible upon awakening.
- The Sunshine System Light should be used on a daily basis during weekdays for optimum benefit – weekend days may be excluded without significant negative effect.
- Usage should be part of the teen’s normal morning routine e.g. while eating breakfast, checking email, completing homework, etc.
- The Sunshine System Light may be used while commuting to school (as passenger; never while driving).
- Daily exposure to bright light in the morning will improve alertness and mood during the day.
- An added benefit is the teen’s sleep pattern will adjust earlier in the evening, enabling the teen to get to sleep at an appropriate hour on school nights.
- Parents have reported success with the Sunshine System Light for their teen within 2 weeks of daily school-day use.
sleepy teens
biological Enlightenment
