Why Am I So Tired After School?

There are many factors that can contribute to feeling tired after school. These include physical and mental exhaustion from the activities of the day, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, stress, and dehydration. It is important that you get enough rest and eat healthy foodsto keep your energy levels up.
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Is it normal to be tired at the end of the school year?

Conclusion – End-of-the-school-year burnout is common but can be managed. It’s simply a matter of preparing for it. Parents, be there for your children the best you can, whether it’s helping them get through their final assignments or keeping them focused ruing that final stretch.
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Should you sleep after school?

How to Master the After-School Nap September 9, 2016 | 1,507 Views Classes have started again, which means the many sleep-deprived students of SPHS are coming home every day ready to curl up on their favorite chairs, beds or couches and take a nap. The after-school nap is a common and necessary tool for successful students, that is, if executed properly.

So, without further ado, here are four napping tips to enhance your forty winks. Tip #1: Take a nap if you need one. You’re not helping yourself by downing cans of sugar and caffeine everyday and forcing yourself to stay awake. According to WebMD, a short nap can not only give you a recharging of energy, but can clear your mind, improve brain function and boost creativity.

Taking a short nap and coming back to an assignment is not a waste of time— it might actually help you do better! Tip #2: Plan and limit your sleeping time. Don’t fall asleep without planning when you’re going to wake up, and don’t let yourself sleep too long.

Sleep experts recommend 15 to 20 minutes at a time for a quick refresher, and 90 to 110 minutes (the average time needed for a complete sleep cycle) for when you’re really exhausted. With anything more, you could wake up feeling even more run down. And don’t forget to set an alarm, or multiple alarms, if you lack self discipline.

This method ensures that you won’t have to rely on someone else to wake you up. Tip #3: Get comfortable! You only have a little while to rejuvenate so you want it to be as effective as possible. Put on comfy clothes and find a good place to snooze (ideally, this is a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed). Equip your napping area with your favorite fluffy pillows and blankets.

If it’s bright outside, shut your blinds and/or invest in an eye mask. Now you’re ready to siesta! Put on that Spotify playlist of relaxing music or dig up that CD of whale sounds your grandma got you for your birthday last year. Let your mind wander to something other than Algebra or Physics, just for a little while.

Tip #4: Get back to work. It’s a good idea to give yourself a couple minutes to wake up first, but waiting too long to get back in the zone can mean taking a big step backwards. As much as you don’t want to, get out from under your cocoon, stretch, make yourself a drink and finish what you need to do.
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Is it OK to take naps after school?

Teen Daughter Takes a Nap Every Day After School – Sense & Sensitivity DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter is an A-student in her high school. She is conscientious about her work, and she helps a little bit around the house. In general, I think she is doing a good job.

My concern is that this semester she comes home from school and wants to take a nap for at least an hour before starting her homework. She does get up and complete her work, but it worries me that she naps virtually every day. The only days she doesn’t nap are when she has her after-school clubs. If I want her to do her chores, which are minimal, she claims she’s tired.

How do I reconcile letting her nap and making sure she has a well-balanced life? I think that studies, rest and responsibilities at home are all important. – Napping Teen DEAR NAPPING TEEN: Taking a nap before doing homework may be a great idea in that it gives your daughter a refresh from her full day at school.

• This could even be a contributor to her doing so well in school.
• According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens do need more sleep than adults.
• It’s best for them to have eight to 10 hours of sleep per night, but because of homework and other factors, they often sleep less.
• Taking a brief nap after school is considered to be an effective way for teens to fortify themselves.

So, yes, your daughter’s nap is likely beneficial to her. That doesn’t mean that she should get a pass on household chores. Since she is doing so well in school, create a chore schedule for her that is complementary to her overall schedule without taking too much time from her studies.

Make sure she knows that chores are requirements, too. DEAR HARRIETTE: My birthday is coming up, and I had the thought that I would have a small party. When I started to make a list, I realized that my life is pretty closed off these days. I can easily make a big event with people I know professionally, but when it comes to an intimate group of friends, I come up short.

It’s making me feel sad that I don’t spend enough time with loved ones and I can’t even figure out who they are. Should I forgo the party? How can I figure out who my true friends are? – Feeling Lonely DEAR FEELING LONELY: Assessing the quality of your friendships is something you should probably do one-on-one over time.

That evaluation requires spending time with folks. For a celebratory get-together, it doesn’t have to be that deep. Make two lists – one that includes professional and peripheral friends; the other that includes family and others that you call on in times of need. Examine your lists and choose who you would like to share your birthday with.

It’s fine for that group to be a mix of both lists. On your special day, choose people you believe will be happy to celebrate you. Separately, dig deeper to determine who deserves to be in your inner circle. (Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.

1. You can send questions to [email protected] or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.) DEAR HARRIETTE: I am about to get married, and my 10-year-old daughter is not happy about it.
2. I have finally found a man who wants to be my partner in life.
3. He likes my daughter, too, but she is not kind to him.

She is just a child, but she does not accept him at all. I know that it can be hard for kids to welcome stepparents, but I need my daughter to like my fiance. What can I say to her to help her to adjust to this change in our lives? – Single Mom Marries DEAR SINGLE MOM MARRIES: Slow down and make a plan with your fiance that includes your daughter.

He needs to get to know her better and build a loving bond with her. She needs to witness that he is not trying to take you away from her. She needs clear evidence that his presence in your lives will bring value, not tear you away from her. Institute a weekly family night where the three of you do something together.

It can be as simple as watching a movie, but make it an activity that you don’t miss. The more you can do to include your daughter in experiences with you and your fiance, the more likely it is that she will soften to him. DEAR HARRIETTE: I am proud of my siblings, and people from our hometown remind me all the time of how incredible they are.

• It’s also hard for me; I have not been as successful.
• I took another path and ended up in rehab, and it has taken me a long time to get my act together.
• I don’t want to be the bad seed, so to speak.
• I am working to get my life together, but it’s hard when my siblings are overachievers.
• How can I stand up and represent myself as the man I am becoming when my siblings are superstars in their industries? – Shrinking Violet DEAR SHRINKING VIOLET: Being compared to your siblings can be hard no matter what your station in life.

The fact that you have experienced some significant bumps in the road doesn’t help you right now. What you need to do is change your focus. Instead of thinking about what your siblings have accomplished, keep your lens turned on yourself. What are you doing to get to your next goal? How does it feel when you accomplish a task you give yourself? Keep a physical list of goals and completed tasks to help keep you on track.

1. Celebrate your small victories.
2. No need to brag about them.
3. Fortify yourself by knowing that you are doing your best.
4. Surround yourself with people who support you for the person you are.
5. When others laud your siblings, give them their due.
6. Resist comparing yourself to them.
7. Just acknowledge their good news and let that stand for itself.

Don’t falsely believe that you have to attempt to one-up them at those pivotal moments. (Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to [email protected] or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.) DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend of six years and I broke up about a year ago.

He said he needed to find himself and grow up. He never stopped texting me, though. A couple of months ago, he asked if we could get back together and try again. I love him, so I agreed to try. We spent time together over the holidays, and it was really nice. But then Valentine’s Day came and went. He didn’t even call.

The next day, he called to ask my advice on an outfit he was going to wear to go out with friends – without me. Am I missing something here? If he’s trying to be in my good graces, don’t you think a simple call on Valentine’s Day would have been in order? I don’t know what he’s thinking about, but it doesn’t seem to be me.

I’m not asking for much, and I don’t even mean to get caught up in a holiday like that, but I just feel like his absence is indicative of him not taking me seriously. Should I say anything? I’m tired of hoping for more and not getting it. – Not My Valentine DEAR NOT MY VALENTINE: You dated this man for a long time.

You know him, and he knows you. After a breakup, if he is not stepping up his game and working hard to win you back, he doesn’t deserve to have you. One of the easiest things to do is to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day. Right or wrong, our culture screams it leading up to the day.

That he missed it says he doesn’t have you top of mind – especially if that is something you celebrated in the past. Though you say you love him, what you need to do is assess if he loves you the way you want to be loved. If not, it is time for you to walk away. DEAR HARRIETTE: I just got a call from a family member who says she wants to visit me with about 10 other relatives this summer.

Nice idea, I guess. Terrible timing, though. She wants to come at a time when my family and I are usually traveling. She didn’t ask, by the way. She informed me that they were coming and then listed the things they want to do while they are here. One good thing is that they don’t expect to stay with me.

1. I have a small apartment and couldn’t possibly house all those people.
2. But they do expect me to host them.
3. I don’t want to do this.
4. How can I squash it without dashing her dreams? – Poorly Timed Trip DEAR POORLY TIMED TRIP: Be honest with your relative.
5. Tell her that you don’t plan to be in the city at the time that she and the others want to come.

Offer to recommend things that they might do if they come anyway, but be clear that you will not be there. If she really wants to organize the trip at a time when you will be available, have that conversation. Discuss her ideas and expectations. You will need to be direct and honest about what you can do to support this trip.

1. Hosting a group of 10 or more people is a big job.
2. Be crystal clear about what you are willing and able to do and what they would need to do on their own.
3. Be mindful of cost and upfront about what you can afford.
4. Having frank conversations on the front end will help mitigate concerns on the back end.
5. Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.

You can send questions to [email protected] or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.) : Teen Daughter Takes a Nap Every Day After School – Sense & Sensitivity
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How long should you sleep after school?

“Since I wake up really early for school every day, I’m really tired by the end of the day. I like to come home and take a two- to three-hour nap. Is what I’m doing okay/healthy?” – Megan, 18, Sterling Heights, MI Who knows how it started — maybe you were having trouble sleeping at night or you were up late for some reason — but it sounds like your afternoon nap has turned into a vicious cycle.

Taking a long nap after school can make it harder for you to fall asleep at night — and on top of that you’re still getting up early, leaving you tired at the end of the day. To break the cycle you’ll have to skip the afternoon nap. It will be hard at first, but you should be able to fall asleep more easily at night.

If you’re really tired after school, try taking a power nap. Set an alarm and don’t sleep longer than 20 or 30 minutes. Getting most of your sleep in a longer stretch at night will help you to function better during the day — you will no longer feel like an 18-year-old zombie.
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Why is my daughter so tired after school?

Should a Child Who Is Always Tired Despite Adequate Sleep Be Evaluated by a Physician? November 16, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: My 8-year-old is tired all the time even though she gets 11 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Is this part of growing up, or should I address it with her pediatrician? I wondered if she might be anemic, but I have read this is rare in children.

1. Answer: It is not uncommon for children to feel tired occasionally.
2. Many factors can lead to tiredness.
3. A busy schedule, not getting enough sleep at night and even being hungry can all make a child tired.
4. But if a child is consistently feeling tired, especially when he or she is getting enough sleep, it is a good idea to talk about it with a pediatrician.

In some cases, tiredness may be a sign of an underlying problem. Being tired at the end of the day is normal for most children, especially those who are active. Children also may feed tired when they get hungry between meals. In those cases, all it usually takes to relieve their tiredness is a healthy snack.

• For many kids the best way to prevent daytime tiredness is a good night’s sleep.
• Children generally need at least 10 hours of sleep a night to function best during the day.
• Interestingly, school-age children do not usually complain of daytime tiredness or fatigue, even when they do feel a little tired.

Instead, these concerns are more often noticed by a child’s parents or caregivers. So when a child talks about being tired or shows obvious signs of fatigue, like lying down to rest in the middle of the day, for example, that should be taken seriously.

1. It may point to an underlying medical condition that needs evaluation.
2. A variety of illnesses can cause a child to be tired.
3. Most acute illnesses — for instance, upper respiratory infections like colds, or ear, throat or sinus infections — make children tired.
4. But with these illnesses, the fatigue goes away when the infection clears.

More prolonged or significant tiredness could be a sign of allergies or asthma. Tiredness that lasts is the most common and prominent symptom of mononucleosis — often called “mono” — caused by Epstein-Barr virus. Fatigue that persists could also be related to poor sleep that results from a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Rarely, chronic fatigue may reflect a more serious underlying condition, such as tuberculosis, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, cancer or very poor nutrition. It also may indicate an emotional, educational or social problem. As you mentioned, parents frequently bring up anemia as a possible cause of a child’s tiredness.

Anemia is a condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Tiredness can be a symptom of anemia. But unless it is quite severe, anemia is rarely the cause of persistent fatigue in children.

In your child’s situation, I suggest first confirming that he or she is, indeed, getting at least 10 hours of restful sleep each night. Check to see if snoring, restlessness or other sleep disturbances may be interfering with healthy sleep. Make sure your child is eating a well-balanced diet with healthy snacks between meals.

Also, talk to your child about any difficulties he or she may be having at school or other social, emotional or learning problems that could be at play. Check for other symptoms of illness, allergies or asthma, too. If changing sleep habits and diet does not help, or if you suspect a sleep disorder or other medical problem could be to blame for the fatigue, talk to your child’s pediatrician about your concerns and have the situation evaluated.
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Why do I feel drained after studying?

It’s not just in your head: a desire to curl up on the couch after a day spent toiling at the computer could be a physiological response to mentally demanding work, according to a study that links mental fatigue to changes in brain metabolism.
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How many kids are tired after school?

Sleep Cycle Survey: Teens and Parents Agree School Is Exhausting New survey data released from, the best-selling alarm clock application, reveals how school schedules affect the quality and quantity of sleep for kids and teens. The survey of more than 1,000 U.S.

Americans Kids Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep The majority of parents (70 percent) agree that their children need a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep to be well-rested, but nearly half (46 percent) report that their children get 7 hours or less.Additionally, while more than three-quarters (77 percent) of American parents got naps when they were children in kindergarten, 4 in 10 say their child did not.This makes for some cranky kids. When they don’t get enough sleep, parents report that their children:

Are moody — 64 percent Are grumpy and disagreeable — 61 percent Get into more trouble at school — 28 percent Make worse life choices — 20 percent

Homework doesn’t help: The vast majority (88 percent) of teens say they must stay up late to finish school projects — 59 percent on a weekly or daily basis. Late to Bed and Early to Rise School start times also have more than a little to do with it: More than half (52 percent) of American parents and 61 percent of American teens think school starts too early.

55 percent of teens feel their school work suffers because of the early start time 59 percent say that early school start times inhibit them from being productive later in the day 70 percent feel they would have more productive school days if school started later — 64 percent of parents agree

About a quarter of teens (27 percent) say they begin to feel alert after 9 a.m., but the majority (39 percent) don’t start feeling alert until after 10 a.m. Another 10 percent say they don’t ever feel alert in class. According to the, “when schools shift their schedules, teens benefit.

For example, seven high schools in Minneapolis moved their start times from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and tested the outcomes for their students. As a result of the change, the teens got five or more extra hours of sleep per week, and attendance and enrollment rates went up, as did alertness. Meanwhile, student-reported depression went down.” Are Naps the Answer? Almost half (46 percent) of parents feel the school day is also too long.

Teens agree:

87 percent have had difficulty staying awake during class because they are tired More than two-thirds (69 percent) have actually fallen asleep 56 percent report feeling worn out at the end of each school day All but 3 percent say they come home tired at least one day a week

More than three-quarters (76 percent) of parents feel their child would benefit from a designated nap or rest time at school — teens included. The vast majority (78 percent) of teens agree that they would benefit from a nap or rest in the course of the school day.
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What is school fatigue?

What are the signs? –

Deterioration in ability to concentrate on tasks and decreasing attention span. Increasing distractibility. Rubbing eyes, fidgeting, excessive yawning. Deterioration in school work such as decreased accuracy, more mistakes, inability to complete tasks. Decreased willingness to attempt school work. Deterioration in behaviour such as decreased compliance, and increased frustration.

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Why am I sad at the end of the school year?

You’re experiencing a transition from your daily life that have been happening for about a year. Even if you weren’t 100% happy at school, it was familiar. It is totally normal to need time to make the transition. If someone had good or bad memories he still could feel sad about the last day of school.
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Why is my 17 year old daughter so tired all the time?

Sleep Patterns and Teens – First, let’s look at the facts. Research has shown that adolescence brings with it a shift in biological sleep patterns, Thanks to changing circadian rhythms at this stage, teens naturally get tired later on at night. It’s also harder for their bodies to wake up in the mornings.

• Combine that with an early high school start time, and you can see why teens wake up so tired.
• There are practical solutions that can help alleviate this problem, of course.
• Many mental health professionals encourage teens to go to sleep as early as they possibly can at night.
• Even if they’re not tired when they get ready to lay down, it’s better than falling into bed when they’re so exhausted they can barely keep their eyes open.

Parents should also keep electronics out of the bedroom and institute a curfew for smartphones, as the bright light hampers teens’ sleep. Others advocate for later school start times. For example, California recently passed a bill that would prohibit public and charter schools from starting class anytime before 8am (or 8:30 am for high schools).

The motive of these California senators? All the research linking exhaustion with mental health and behavioral issues, Apparently, lack of sleep can cause cognitive defects, angry outbursts, negative mood, decreased attention, mental health issues, learning issues, and a host of other problems. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), adolescents who don’t get enough sleep are also more likely to engage in self-injurious or suicidal behavior,

What does not enough sleep actually mean? According to AASM, teenagers should get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. However, 75% of high school students sleep less than 8 hours a night, according to the CDC.
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Why is my 14 year old daughter always tired?

TABLE 3 – Suggested feedback to teens and families regarding chronic fatigue

The history and physical have ruled out serious medical and psychiatric conditions that can present as fatigue (if there are specific illnesses that the teen or family was concerned about, these can be highlighted). Unexplained fatigue in teens is common and is probably related to the combination of rapid physical and psychological change, which can leave some teens feeling exhausted. Although there are no tests to confirm the fatigue, we know the symptoms are real. For some teens, the fatigue is triggered by something, eg, an illness, or a time when competing demands have left the teen physically and emotionally overwhelmed with too many obligations. For some teens with chronic fatigue, the symptom has become a vicious cycle – fatigue limits what the teen is able to do, then inactivity and isolation lead to deconditioning and mood changes, which results in further fatigue. Fatigue is manageable and most teens recover, although sometimes this takes months or even years. Despite the fact that we do not know the cause, we do know which interventions are helpful for most teens with fatigue.

Before discussing specific interventions, the physician should ensure that the teen and their family are ‘on board’ with proceeding to the management phase. The importance of this step in managing fatigued teens cannot be overstated because the recommendations that the doctor makes are unlikely to be followed unless the family and the teen are prepared to move on ( 16 ).

• Lingering doubts about the completeness of the testing may not allow the parent and the teen to push through the rehabilitation, which may be challenging.
• Helping the family to understand possible psychological contributors is important, but it needs to be handled cautiously.
• An explanation that some children with chronic symptoms have a tendency to ‘internalize’ their feelings may help the family understand the reasons for further psychological evaluation, even though the child may not express any worry or unhappiness.

There is evidence that teens with parents who do not endorse psychological contributors to chronic fatigue have a poorer prognosis than other fatigued teens ( 30 ). It is also important to warn teens and families ahead of time that the management may seem ‘backwards’ to them.
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How many hours sleep by age?

How Much Sleep Do I Need? How much sleep you need changes as you age.

Although the amount of sleep you get each day is important, other aspects of your sleep also contribute to your health and well-being. Good sleep quality is also essential. Signs of poor sleep quality include not feeling rested even after getting enough sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, and experiencing symptoms of (such as snoring or gasping for air).
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What grade do they stop nap time?

4. If Your Child Is Around About 5 Years Old, They Can Probably Skip A Nap – There’s no exact age that your toddler will stop napping: it’s generally between ages 3 and 5, but for some kids, it could be as young as 2 (especially if they have older siblings running around and not napping).

• Still, if your child is still napping by age 5 and you’ve noticed a difference in behavior, it could mean they’re ready to drop the naps.
• Donskoy says, “The general guidelines for pediatric sleep put forth by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend total sleep times grouped by age.
• Up until a child is 5 years old, the total sleep time that he/she is recommended includes a daytime nap.

After this age, the total sleep time is assumed to be exclusively at night.” Donskoy also notes that, actually, naps after the age of 5 (if the child seems like they really need them) could be indicative of poor quality of sleep at night. After 5 years old, you really want them to get all their sleep at night, so if they need a nap, that may be a sign something needs to change with nighttime sleep.
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Is it normal for a 13 year old to nap after school?

Adolescents have a reputation for sleeping all the time — for good reason. Most of the time, this is a perfectly normal aspect of adolescence. This sudden change in sleep patterns, even if it’s perfectly normal, probably looks like a serious problem. There are instances, in extreme cases, where all this sleep is an indicator of a deeper, underlying issues, but most of the time the change in sleep patterns is normal and some of the pain can be alleviated with a few simple rules.
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What grade do kids stop taking naps?

When Do Toddlers Stop Napping? – By around 12 months, some children give up their morning nap, and by 2 years most children are down to one nap of about two to three hours in the afternoon. It’s possible that around the time your child turns 3 years old, she may stop taking naps.

By the time she’s 5 you’re likely to see your child at night without the need for naps. Keep in mind that every child is different. Even though most children stop napping between the ages of 3 and 5, your child may stop napping as young as 2 or as old as 6. There is no one specific “normal” age when your child is supposed to give up on naps.

The transition may not necessarily be linear either. Some days your child may need the nap; on other days, maybe not. The length of the afternoon nap also becomes shorter with time, so as your preschooler gets older the nap won’t necessarily need to be two or three hours long for your child to feel rested.
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Why do teens stay up late?

Frequently Asked Questions – Why do teenagers stay up late? Teenagers stay up late for three main reasons. First, biological shifts in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, make teens stay up later. Second, social media can keep kids up and blue light from devices suppresses melatonin production.
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What time should a 16 year old be home?

Make Your Rules Stick – Have consequences for a missed curfew. If your teenager does miss a curfew, start by explaining how worried you were, but that you’re glad they’re home safe. Instead of discussing punishment late at night, try talking to them the next morning.

• It’s important to let them know that they’re going to lose privileges like going out if they show they can’t handle the freedom.
• Still, blowing off a curfew once shouldn’t be cause for grounding, unless there’s a more worrying situation at hand.
• Try rolling back privileges instead.
• The same rules apply to digital curfews, Lynch says.

For instance, if they don’t cut their phone off, they get a warning. After the second warning, you cut their device time by an hour for the next day.” Make adjustments as needed. While some parents rely on a set curfew, others make the rules fit he circumstances.

For example, if your teen gets home from after-school activities at 7 p.m., a weekday curfew of 10 p.m. may make sense. On the weekends, maybe 11 p.m. is a more reasonable time. It depends on your family’s schedule and your child. “We have always had bedtime curfew during the week and simply stuck with it, increasing the lateness by 30 minutes each year, since middle school,” Lynch says.

“Of course, we allow for a 15- to 30-minute grace period if they need to complete an assignment or get in late from sports practice.” Being flexible is helpful, especially if your teen is graduating high school soon and preparing for college. You’ll want them to feel comfortable making smart decisions themselves, as opposed to relying on others for guidance.
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Should a 15 year old have a bedtime?

Kids always want to stay up late. But what’s the optimum time for them – and you – to go to bed? B edtime can be a battle for many parents, with more than half in a recent study saying it is the single most stressful time of their day – and almost two-thirds of respondents telling Disney Junior UK’s podcast that their kids won’t sleep until after 10pm.

1. So, what time should we go to bed? It varies, says Dr Paul Kelley, an honorary associate in sleep, circadian and memory neuroscience at the Open University.
2. The topic of young children’s bedtimes is “very badly” researched, he says.
3. That said: “9pm is a sensible approach.” For teenagers, Kelley says that, generally speaking, 13- to 16-year-olds should be in bed by 11.30pm.

However, our school system needs a radical overhaul to work with teenagers’ biological clocks. “If you’re 13 to 15 you should be in school at 10am, so that means you’re waking up at 8am. They don’t get to do that, but that’s the one that fits in with their biological clocks.” In an ideal world, teenagers aged between 17 and 20 should be in bed by midnight and wake up at 11am.

“You shift later wake times in early adolescence and early adulthood. It then very gradually drifts back to 10am, then 9am and then earlier and earlier. So, for someone like me, who’s 70, a lot of us tend to get up at 5am.” I’m 31, and Kelley says an ideal time for me to hit the sack is between midnight and 2am.

Kelley and I speak at 9am, which he apologies for. “Neither of us are with it at the right time!” he laughs. The crucial thing, he says, is to not be too hard on yourself. “Variation is normal. People tend to blame themselves for going to bed too late or getting up too early.” When I was on the dole and liberated from any clocking-in card, I fell into what I thought was an unhealthy pattern of bedding down between 4am and 5am and waking up around midday.
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Why is my daughter so tired after school?

Should a Child Who Is Always Tired Despite Adequate Sleep Be Evaluated by a Physician? November 16, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: My 8-year-old is tired all the time even though she gets 11 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Is this part of growing up, or should I address it with her pediatrician? I wondered if she might be anemic, but I have read this is rare in children.

Answer: It is not uncommon for children to feel tired occasionally. Many factors can lead to tiredness. A busy schedule, not getting enough sleep at night and even being hungry can all make a child tired. But if a child is consistently feeling tired, especially when he or she is getting enough sleep, it is a good idea to talk about it with a pediatrician.

In some cases, tiredness may be a sign of an underlying problem. Being tired at the end of the day is normal for most children, especially those who are active. Children also may feed tired when they get hungry between meals. In those cases, all it usually takes to relieve their tiredness is a healthy snack.

For many kids the best way to prevent daytime tiredness is a good night’s sleep. Children generally need at least 10 hours of sleep a night to function best during the day. Interestingly, school-age children do not usually complain of daytime tiredness or fatigue, even when they do feel a little tired.

Instead, these concerns are more often noticed by a child’s parents or caregivers. So when a child talks about being tired or shows obvious signs of fatigue, like lying down to rest in the middle of the day, for example, that should be taken seriously.

It may point to an underlying medical condition that needs evaluation. A variety of illnesses can cause a child to be tired. Most acute illnesses — for instance, upper respiratory infections like colds, or ear, throat or sinus infections — make children tired. But with these illnesses, the fatigue goes away when the infection clears.

More prolonged or significant tiredness could be a sign of allergies or asthma. Tiredness that lasts is the most common and prominent symptom of mononucleosis — often called “mono” — caused by Epstein-Barr virus. Fatigue that persists could also be related to poor sleep that results from a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Rarely, chronic fatigue may reflect a more serious underlying condition, such as tuberculosis, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, cancer or very poor nutrition. It also may indicate an emotional, educational or social problem. As you mentioned, parents frequently bring up anemia as a possible cause of a child’s tiredness.

Anemia is a condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Tiredness can be a symptom of anemia. But unless it is quite severe, anemia is rarely the cause of persistent fatigue in children.

• In your child’s situation, I suggest first confirming that he or she is, indeed, getting at least 10 hours of restful sleep each night.
• Check to see if snoring, restlessness or other sleep disturbances may be interfering with healthy sleep.
• Make sure your child is eating a well-balanced diet with healthy snacks between meals.

Also, talk to your child about any difficulties he or she may be having at school or other social, emotional or learning problems that could be at play. Check for other symptoms of illness, allergies or asthma, too. If changing sleep habits and diet does not help, or if you suspect a sleep disorder or other medical problem could be to blame for the fatigue, talk to your child’s pediatrician about your concerns and have the situation evaluated.
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Is it normal to sleep everyday after school?

Can you sleep too much as a teenager? – It is common for teenagers to feel like they need more sleep than adults. And, in fact, most do need more sleep than their parents did at that age. The average teenager needs about nine hours of sleep a night, but many get by on far less.

This can be a problem because sleeping too much can have the same negative effects as not getting enough sleep. Oversleeping makes it hard to stay awake and focused during the day and can lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. The best way to break out of the vicious cycle is to skip her nap, but it will be hard at first.

Shorter sleep time helps teenagers function better; set an alarm to wake up from a 20-minute nap after every few hours of sleep. Sleep is important for teenagers, and so is exercise
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Jordan McKenzie