Study Reveals Sleeping in on Weekends Helps Teens With Anxiety
What? In a study published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, researchers found that “teens who get moderate—but not excessive—catch-up sleep on weekends have fewer symptoms of anxiety.”
So What? CDC data shows that only 23% of high school students get sufficient sleep on an average school night, which is 8 to 10 hours. So sleep recovery on the weekends can be beneficial to your teen’s mental health. However, the research also cautions against sleeping in too late. Extra sleep totaling more than two hours can have the opposite effect, increasing symptoms of anxiety.
Now What? I’m not gonna lie, it took me a long time—well into adulthood—to truly understand how my sleep patterns affected my overall health. As a teen, I didn’t get enough sleep during the week, often because I was texting or playing video games into the wee hours of the morning. I got frustrated with my parents for forcing me to wake up on the weekends before noon. But as an adult, I realize my parents had it right. If I had simply “unplugged” at night and gotten my eight hours of sleep during the week, I would have felt better physically, emotionally and mentally. And if I had limited my sleeping in to two hours on the weekend, I wouldn’t have felt so groggy and irritable and anxious. So talk to your kids about this study. Negotiate some boundaries so that your teen will start practicing good sleep habits (and reaping the rewards) now and continue those beneficial habits into adulthood.
‘My Pet Peeve’ Might Help Parents Relate to Teens Better
What? Using audio from a viral Natalie Portman interview, in which the actress shared her greatest annoyance, the “My Pet Peeve” trend helps teens showcase their own frustrations.
So What? While some teens are using the trend humorously, highlighting funny quirks, others are going deeper. They’re drawing attention to how adults often dismiss or minimize things that are important to teenagers.
Now What? Sydni Ellis for SheKnows writes, “The ‘my pet peeve’ trend is a good segue into seeing what is bothering your teens right now and allowing you to really lean in and listen to them.” And listening to your child’s pet peeves—however trivial they might appear from an adult perspective—can go a long way toward demonstrating that they can come to you with any problem they face, no matter how big or small.
The TikTok Ban Has Been Delayed … Again
What? The deadline for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the short-form video app to an American owner has been extended another 90 days, according to NBC News.
So What? Well, to be perfectly honest, this doesn’t change much of anything for the reported 170 million American users of the popular social media app. While government officials maintain their privacy and security concerns for the American people, support for the ban has largely declined.
Now What? Parents, keep exercising caution with TikTok, teaching your kids healthy social media habits. Pay attention to what your teen and tweens are watching and who they’re talking to on TikTok. And keep checking back with Plugged In’s “On the Radar” blog each week for new trends that could be harmful to your teen.
One Response
Getting the right amount of sleep each night can be difficult. I never really considered oversleeping to be as harmful as under-sleeping, but from personal experience, it makes sense.
Even if support for the TikTok ban is going down, I still do not trust the app. I was happy to see it was going to be banned, but now that the time before the ban is extended a second time, I’m starting to lose confidence that it will ever be banned. Personally, I think TikTok is more of a time waster than anything, so I don’t use it.