the most common paediatric sleep-wake problem encountered by general practitioners
there are various reasons why inadequate sleep hygiene is a problem in adolescents (1)
teenagers are unable to fall asleep before 10 30 or 11 pm owing to a physiological shift in the timing of release of melatonin (which generally induces sleep at around 8 30 pm in preadolescence)
social factors e.g. after-school sports, evening jobs, television, internet use, mobile phones, and homework may delay bedtime on school nights to between 11 pm and midnight
drug-induced effects
caffeine, nicotine, and illicit drugs may also interfere with timely sleep onset
school day
adolescents may have to wake early in order to travel to school.
poor sleep hygiene in this group is in the context of teenagers needing 9-9.5 hours of sleep to maintain optimum alertness
management consists primarily of counselling about sleep hygiene
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