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Do you have teen children? Have you observed how they are often tired? Do they seem exhausted even at the start of the day? 

Your teen is probably sleep-deprived. A lot of these young people are frequently worn out these days. Most likely they are not getting enough sleep and they are not meeting the required hours of sleep for their age. 

Why is that happening? What can parents do to help them? If they are constantly drained, these are probably the reasons: 

Technology Addiction – These teens are born at a time where their world revolves around technology. To be fair, technology has its own merits. They have made our lives easier and more convenient. We can do more things because of it. 

However, this generation haven’t lived in a time without it. They don’t know what’s life before the gadgets. Almost everything they do is related to technology - that’s why it’s easy for them to be addicted. 

Too much screen time is unfortunately linked to sleep-deprivation. The issue isn’t just about your teen’s inability to put down the phone even if it’s bed time already. Although, the internet is indeed a blackhole. Your teen’s few minutes of usage can turn into hours because no one can exhaust the internet. However, there’s another issue. 

Hours after their gadget exposure, they would probably be still wide awake. Why? The blue light that our electronic gadgets emit suppresses melatonin release. This hormone, melatonin, regulates our sleep cycle. It tells us when to sleep and when to wake up. 

So when your teen gets too much exposure to blue light, they will have less melatonin – making it harder for them to sleep. 

You don’t have to ban electronic devices in your home, that’s would be too extreme. What parents can do, they can regulate the screen time. Limit your teen’s usage most especially before their sleeping time. Melatonin production is highest at night so make sure to put gadgets away at that time. 

Uncomfortable bed – One thing we may be quick to overlook is our teen’s bed. How long has your teen been using their beds? Is it the same one they’re using since they were young? 

Be wary of old mattresses. If they’ve been using it for the longest time, the mattress may now be full of dust mites, bed bugs, and other sorts of allergens. This doesn’t include the dead skin cells human shed and we haven’t started with pets yet – if you have them. 

It’s totally unhygienic not to replace your old mattress. They can trigger allergy attacks and other respiratory diseases, which is not just unhealthy for your teen but will make them lose sleep also. 

Besides, old mattresses are also no longer as firm as they were before. Years of use would eventually make even the best mattress sag.  Continuous usage would cause muscle stiffness all over. Your teen wouldn’t stay asleep for so long because they need to shift their positions several times during the night. That’s probably why they aren’t having a restful sleep. 

Many of us delay the purchase of a new mattress because it’s quite a hassle to buy it. Many complain that it’s just too bulky to lug around. Nowadays, you can get a mattress in a box. Same mattress but in a smaller package.

Or you don’t even have to leave your home, just buy mattress online and wait for it to be delivered. Makes sure though that your online purchase comes with a trial period and warranty so you can exchange it if it doesn’t meet your expectations. 

It’s so easy to replace your teen’s old mattress so there’s no reason not to change it already. Our teens have a lot of things going on around them already. The least we could do is give them a better bed so they could sleep better.