@jen1458 I would recommend having labs done, especially a thyroid panel. My 16 year old daughter has Hashimoto's and struggles with being tired. She'll take a nap in the afternoon then go to sleep a couple hours after she wakes up. Also have Vitamin D checked. Her's was low and starting supplements definitely helped.
@jen1458 Just check on the quality of sleep. 9 hrs in bed usually means ~7 hr of actual sleep. I really like the app sleep cycle for this. If he has a phone, you could download it and put it on at night to see how much actual sleep he’s getting. Not in a helicopter parent kind of way, I do it for myself bc it’s fun & interesting. There are a lot of factors that affect one’s sleep quality and you won’t know until you see!
@jen1458 Maybe a trip to the Dr for an irom test might be worth it, just to ensure no issues with iron or thyroid. The demands of the teenage brain and body do need more sleep.
As a teen, i could easily sleep 10-12 hrs in a night. Most teenage brains dont wake up before 12 noon anyway, so being tired in the morning is pretty normal. Coming home from school tired(has he tried a snack and some water post school? Somtimes its just a hydration or hunger thing..need more fuel after spending all that time doing school).
@jen1458 Yes, this could be normal. On the other hand, I think it would be a good idea to check him out for depression. It could save his life. Some people are so good at hiding it, they fool the people they're living with. It's also a good idea to see if there's some physical health condition affecting him.
@jen1458 I used to be that tired. School that age honestly is insane. Like 6or more critical classes you are suppose to learn 5 days a week? College isn’t even that insane! I felt so exhausted from all the shit being shoved down our throats and at the end of the day I wouldn’t remember really anything. My mom thought I had narcolepsy I’d sleep so much and be unable to be woken up lol
