The Teenager Biological Clock: How It Impacts Well-being in a World-Aligned with the Adult Clock Would Be An Excellent Choice

By: Loli Nikoletta Papadopoulou

Abstract

The Issue is Oversimplified: One characteristic of teenagers in contemporary society is their sleepiness. Adults often complain about their teenagers sleeping really late, refusing to go to sleep early, and waking up late when they have the opportunity. The adults often attribute this behavior to social media or the laziness of their children. But is this the real reason behind this behavior? Some American Universities saw an underlying cause of this issue. After some research, they discovered that there are some significant differences between the adult and the teenager biological clock, due to the time when melatonin is released in our brains.

Important Vocabulary:

● Melatonin

The brain chemical that is realized in our brains and causes sleepiness.

● Biological Clock

The system that regulates an organism's innate sense of time and controls circadian rhythms are called a biological clock

The natural sleeping clock of teenagers: The natural sleeping clock of teenagers is

different from the one of an adult. First of all, teenagers need to get at least nine hours of sleep, something that is not achieved with them getting the best occasion seven hours. On the other hand, adults can function just fine with only eight hours of sleep. Moreover, it is noticed that adolescents, in contrast to kids, are unable to produce melatonin when there is sun outside. This does not allow them to fall asleep during daytime and also delays their falling asleep process.

The effects of this phenomenon on their well-being: All these facts plus the academic pressure that often leads teenagers to pull all-nighters to achieve high exam grades lead to terrible mental health effects. Firstly, they are tired all of the time thus not having energy and not being able to enjoy everyday life things. Also, their inability to sleep earlier leads to increased time spent on social media which promotes a lot of unhealthy things. Lastly, lack of rest leads to a large amount of mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, etc).

Solutions to the issue:

● Prioritize sleep

● If possible, take short naps

● Avoid caffeine before bed

● Avoid alcohol and nicotine as they significantly disrupt sleep patterns

● Establish a sleep schedule

● Try to do relaxing things before going to bed (ex a hot bath or a cup of hot milk)

● Avoid all-nighters by managing better your schedule

References

Swartzendruber, K. (2014, January 9). Teens and sleep: The solutions on the issue.

Michigan State University Extension. Retrieved from

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teens_and_sleep

Moawad, H. (2016, November 7). Teenage circadian rhythm. Neurology Live. Retrieved from

https://www.neurologylive.com/view/teenage-circadian-rhythm

Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Melatonin. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-melatonin/art-20363071

National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (n.d.). Biological clock. Retrieved from

https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx