Understanding the Zombie Teen’s Body Clock may sound like a Halloween challenge, but is actually the title of Sue Shellenbarger’s recent Wall Street Journal article exploring just how different the adolescent sleep cycle is from that of childhood or adulthood. Zombie teens experience a “biological 1-2-3 punch:”
- Puberty creates a median 1.5-hour delay in the body’s release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.
- The buildup of the need to sleep as the day wears on, slows during adolescence.
- Adolescents lose some of their sensitivity to morning light.
These biological issues are mismatched to the demands of normal teen life as is illustrated in the image below.
So What?
Most teens do not get adequate sleep. According to a 2011 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “7.6% of teens get the recommended 9 to 10 hours of sleep, 23.5% get eight hours and 38.7% are seriously sleep-deprived at six or fewer hours a night.”
- What are the implications of the adolescent sleep cycle for your congregation’s ministry with youth?
- How does understanding the biological realities of the teen sleep cycle impact your view on the appropriateness and value of bedtimes for adolescents?