This month in South Africa we celebrate our Youth Day. It is an important commemoration of the vital role played by our youth in the fight for a democratic society and the great constitution that we have today.
We are proud of our youth and we are very aware that they are the leaders of tomorrow. However, it will take good quality individuals in these leadership roles for us to be assured of a bright future for generations to come.
What many people don’t realise is that good sleep is so crucial to the teens of today and many of our youth do battle to get the kind of quality sleep that they need. It was well pointed out in an excellent article by the American sleep foundation on Teens and sleep, that the minimum requirement for teens to maintain good physical health, emotional well-being, and all-around performance is 8 to 10 hrs per night.
So all you parents out there don’t get stressed when your teenage daughter or son is sleeping in late whenever they can – they are just catching up on the vital sleep they need! There is no question that for mental, physical, social, and emotional development quality youth need quality sleep, but let’s take a look at a few reasons, according to the sleep foundation, why they do…
Why sleep for teens is so important
‘’Sleep benefits the brain and promotes attention, memory, and analytical thought.’’ according to the foundation, and it makes thinking sharper which in turn promotes better learning. ‘’Sleep also facilitates expansive thinking that can spur creativity. Whether it’s studying for a test, learning an instrument, or acquiring job skills, sleep is essential for teens.’’
It’s pretty obvious then that if we consider just how important sleep is to these rapidly evolving bodies and minds if they don’t get sufficient sleep, the effects can be damaging and affect the long-term prospects of the individual.
How can we help?
Unlike in the case of younger children (for whom quality sleep is also vital) we can’t always dictate to teens exactly when they should go to bed and try to set things up to induce better sleep for them, but if we are concerned and they also realise that they may be having a sleep problem, we can pass on a rather useful set of healthy ‘sleep hygiene’ tips which are…
- Include 8 hours of sleep in your daily schedule and keep that same schedule on both weekdays and weekends.
- Create a consistent pre-bed routine to help you to get relaxed and fall asleep sooner. These would include putting away all electronic devices and avoiding blue screens for at least an hour before bed, as well as avoiding alcohol and caffeine for quite a long time before sleeping.
- Lowering body temperature is important to get to sleep sooner and to maintain good sleep so keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
- Last, but by no means least, is to ensure that you are sleeping on a supportive mattress and that it is the best mattress for you. There is a lot of information on our website regarding the selection of the right mattress for you too so do check it out!
Get the mattress that’s always true to form!
Just as we always expect the best from our youth, we at Truform have been providing the best quality mattresses to South Africans for almost 40 years to assist our quality youth to get quality sleep.
Check out our great range at a store near you or review it online or contact us for any information you need. To all our youth we are proud of you and on National Youth Day we will be saluting you!