Are teens supposed to be this tired?

[jen1458]

My son turns 14 tomorrow and is tired ALL THE TIME. He's definitely in his growth spurt, because two months ago he was 1" shorter than me and now he's 1" taller than me, and he will be over 6' tall. Is this just the demands of a fast growing body and brain? He doesn't seem depressed, just tired. He's never been a hyper active kid, but he wakes up tired despite getting 9 hours of sleep, and comes home from school tired. He takes vitamins, including B vitamins, but sometimes I have to remind him.

 

[bernard05]

@jen1458 When I think of being a teenager, I remember being bone-tired and hungry all the time. My dad worked early so we all had to go to bed at nine for as long as I lived at home, and we got up at six so I was getting a lot of sleep but I was just always exhausted.

My own daughter is really good about prioritizing sleep, but she's always tired. On the weekends, she'll sleep until way past noon if she doesn't set an alarm.

I keep reading that teenagers need as much sleep as toddlers and I believe it.

 

[elephas]

@jen1458 It depends on how busy he is, his quality of sleep, how stressed he is, and his body. Teens have a lot of changes, physically and mentally, that can make them tired. On top of that, lots of teens are busy with school/sports/clubs/work/etc. Would it be possible to give him a weekend to sleep as much as he wants to + do whatever he wants to to see if it’s a sleep deprivation/stress problem v something more?

 

[jerrygg38]

@jen1458 Not to alarm you or anything, but my parents were similarly confused and as it turned out I had fucking narcolepsy, which was only realized because I also have cataplexy and was eating shit on pavement, down stairs, in the kitchen, at football practice due to sudden loss of muscle control.

You can look up symptoms of narcolepsy and go see a sleep doc to get his REM looked at to make sure, but 99% chance it’s not this so don’t lose sleep no pun intended.

 

[sadpaanda]

@jerrygg38 I feel it's important to note for our non-native English speakers that "eating shit" in this context is slang for falling.

 

[jerrygg38]

@sadpaanda Haha this made me laugh out loud. Good call

 

[julien]

@sadpaanda Thank you for this. I am laughing so hard thinking about what someone who doesn’t know this idiom would think while reading this. The horror.

 

[michaelo]

@jen1458 What does the pediatrician say?

Teens being tired — sure. Especially when they are growing — yes!

But “waking up after 9 hours of sleep & still tired” — I would want to rule out sleep apnea, other sleep disorders, and medical problems.

 

[jen1458]

@michaelo He has regular medical care for something else and all his tests are normal.

 

[michaelo]

@jen1458 That’s good. I am not trying to be oppositional but where we live …

My kids would not be screened for sleep apnea or sleep disorders, on routine well-visits or a check-up for other chronic condition, as it’s just not that common. But in my opinion, even tired teens should “wake up refreshed” after 9 hours of sleep. Tired by noon, as they are growing and busy, sure…it also could be a weird viral thing, or growing thing, but I would personally not let it go on for months & months, before getting a sleep study.

 

[jen1458]

@michaelo I appreciate the insight. He's scheduled for his annual physical in a few weeks and I'll mention it.

 

[graceeternity]

@jen1458 Consider a Fitbit Charge or similar to use for sleep tracking. It's not perfect but will give you good estimates of the time asleep, awake, REM, etc. Easy way to get a baseline and compare day to day.

 

[joshuaaa]

@jen1458 In short, yes.

When I was that age, I slept so much that my mother was terribly worried I had mono. I ended up 6'2".

My 15 year old is now the same way. And he's now almost as tall as me.

 

[aweshum]

@jen1458 Yes and no.

There are many factor, if there is happening more around him then he can be more tires for a short periode. The weather can also play a part, and too little iron in the blood. And when they grow fast.

Give him a couple of weeks, and see if it change.

 

[snackette]

@jen1458 Just yesterday I was talking with my kid's therapist about sleep. My 14-year-old was claiming they get only 4 hours of sleep a night. The therapist said the most restorative sleep occurs before midnight, and after midnight, the body registers sleep at about half the value, so the kid feels like they only got 4 hours.

She also said to keep electronics out of the bedroom, full stop. Apparently any light or sound is registered by the brain, even if it's subconsciously. No late snacks, consistency in wake and sleep times, and being in bed only for sleep, sex, and if sick were other suggestions. (Sex, not yet, thanks.) When she said no reading in bed, I was all up in arms myself! Still, we're going to try one habit for several weeks and then try another.

 

[jen1458]

@snackette He actually has really good sleep hygiene. We've always prioritized it. We both wear a tempur pedic sleep mask that blocks out all light. I've used one since 2004 and it didn't take long before I couldn't sleep without it. And he sleeps as long as he wants on the weekends. I do think it's *probably* normal, but definitely wanted other parent's thoughts.

 

[ckg2011]

@jen1458 13 or 14 is when I started smoking Marijuana. It made me tired all the time.

 

[jen1458]

@ckg2011 While I appreciate the awareness, I'm certain it's not that. Among other reasons, he has a medical condition that makes him acutely aware of how well he has to treat his body. He's quite risk averse when it comes to his health.

 

[ckg2011]

@jen1458 that's kind of a blessing, I know I will have to look out for self medication in my kids as it is strongly in our dna.

 

[jiminz]

@jen1458 Some kids just need more sleep. How does he feel if he gets 10 or 11 hours? What is his natural wake time if in optimal sleep conditions?

I have one teen who does fine with limited sleep. I have another who is a bear to be around if it's less than 9-10 hours. That kid would prefer to get 10 hours - going to bed at 9 and waking at 7:30.

I was always exhausted as a teen.... and young adult. But that was definitely due to a lack of sleep and the hours of sleep. Like i naturally would go to bed later and sleep later. That isn't doable when you're in school/working.