Helpful Tips about Sleep

Hi Everyone,
My name is Nino Yniguez, I’m an LMFT in Westlake Village at Engage Therapy and for this month’s blog I thought I would focus on sleep. Sleep is something that can be overlooked easily by teens and parents. Whether it’s the overload of parenting and work for adults or the fully packed days of school, friends, homework, sports, and video gaming of teens, sleep is something that can easily be lost. Over the last 7 years of working in the mental health field I have seen that for many people sleep has lost its value. 
 
Since this is a blog for teens, I can spend a little time on some (but not all) of the things I have heard and seen that get in the way of sleep for teens. First, we’ll start with – they want to have fun! Play video games and talk with friends. Second, they may be constantly trying to catch up on their school work after their job or practice. Third, screen time may be filling their nights with YouTube videos, watching their favorite shows or scrolling through Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, these are pretty common things nowadays and adults do them too but lack of sleep can affect teens mental health, ability to manage stress, ability to focus, regulation of mood and much more.   
 
Before I get into the tips for helping teens sleep, we can add some basic reasons/reminders why you might want to get some more rest. Sleep is an anabolic state which means your body is able to rejuvenate and grow. Consistent, good quality sleep will in a sense help rebuild you. It will help balance hormones, improve brain function and increase physical energy. It also helps teens and adults make better decisions, decrease anxiety/stress and better manage fluctuations in mood. In other terms, sleep is the restoration for the most important parts of our lives, our body and brain and if we deprive ourselves of it, we get further away from the best version of ourselves. 
 
So if you are struggling to sleep or want to sleep more, here are some tips to help:

1. Create a bed time routine you can be consistent with. Include something that helps you wind down/relax. This will allow your body to get used to a pattern and help prepare your body to sleep each night. Examples below
   1. Shower/bath
   2. Meditation/breathing techniques
   3. Prepare clothes for next day
   4. Drinking warm caffeine free tea
2. Decrease screen time before bed. 30-60min before bed put the phones away.
3. Do minimal activities on your bed. Do not do homework on your bed or talk for hours on the phone on your bed. Allow your body and brain to get used to seeing your bed as the place to sleep and nothing else.
4. Keep late night snacks to a minimum and minimize sugar or caffeine at night. 
5. Get an Aloe Vera plant for your night stand. Aloe Vera plants give off oxygen at night which can help increase sleep.
6. Read a fictional book before bed. There is an emphasis on “fictional book”, nonfiction books may feel like work to your brain. Allow it to wander.

Lastly, If you have any questions or would like more information on this month’s blog please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] .
 
 
Saturnino Yniguez, M.A. 
Program Manager
LMFT #100630

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