Teen sleep patterns under lockdown

[wishfultinkerer]

My DD’s sleep pattern seems to have completely changed during lockdown with her now up most of the night and asleep most of the day. Are your teens sleeping normally now or are they becoming nocturnal animals as well? Any suggestions for how to break the pattern?

[OnTheMoors]

DS (13) was always up early and in bed by 9 . He sleeping a lot more now but I think they do need it as growing . He does get our of bed if I go and open his curtains. Let them rest. Keep waking her in the morning and hopefully she will then be tired at a decent bedtime

[Busymum45]

I had to read that twice as thought it was me that wrote it! My teens the same, since lockdown up.all night sleep all day, sometimes past 4. I get restless and try waking at 1/2 but glad not just our house !

[cherrytreeblossom]

My 13 and 16 yo have just become nocturnal !

[starrynight19]

Absolutely the same here dd12 is the first to wake at about 12 and then dd15 and ds18 wake up anytime after 2.30.
I think they are up well into the night.
I don’t know how to tackle it , if I should even. Am dreading the whole back to homeschool situation tomorrow.

[TigerDroveAgain]

DS is 18. He gets up at about 2.30, eats, goes and FaceTimes his girlfriend for hours. Has a run about 8.30 basically in the dark, then eats with us and disappears. He was spending several hours each day in the gym before lockdown so is now eating a lot less. Silver lining!

I worry about the effect of this sleep pattern in his mental health but can’t really do much about it. I think catching up on sleep is really important for teens.

[YorkshireParentalPerson]

For teens it's actually natural for them to become late risers, something to do with all the hormones, there was actually some serious thought given to letting teens start school much later than they currently do to accommodate their natural need to sleep late.

It is doing my son a world of good having a sleep in and getting up later, he's much better tempered for it!

[Busymum45]

Mine are just turned 19 so he has online uni lectures ( start 1pm!) And DD 15 GCSE year so no school work . It's hard !!

[Nishky]

Yes but as both of mine went through periods of 5am waking when they were little I always swore I would not complain in this scenario

So am buttoning my lip!

[multivac]

Ours get up at 6.45am Mon-Sat, 7.45am Sunday. They are 'key workers', with paper rounds. I suspect that without this they, too, would have turned nocturnal...

[wishfultinkerer]

Thanks everyone. My DD says ‘everyone’ is on the same nocturnal schedule and maybe she’s right!

[FVFrog]

Such a relief to know it’s not just mine! Nocturnal here too, breakfast at 3pm today...

[Chocolatecake12]

Yes mine have turned nocturnal too! Ds18 went to bed at 5am after playing Xbox with his friend online. I’m guessing this will be a ‘look back and remember the day’ when they’re older.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Yes, for the last couple of weeks of holidays it has been getting later and later, bed 2-3am and up at noon-ish.

Back to, online, school tomorrow so he has been up at 9:30 last two days to get into the swing of it again.

[Mooserp]

Yep mine too. Reassuring to hear it's widespread!

I get quite confused about what meals they are having when

[M0chaJoe]

I leave my 21 year old home from uni to do as she pleases - and she watches a film in her room until about 1am I think. Rises by 11am

My 13 year old I can't leave to own devices. I don't think it would be good for him. So as a compromise I let him have until about 10:30 ish and he's up and about by 9am. If he was older I'd be more inclined to let him have later but I honestly don't see the benefit to teenagers to just let them sleep until 4pm and stay up roaming round the internet until 4am.

Call me old fashioned

[candle18]

I also had to check the OP’s name as I thought it was the post I had written last week! Exactly the same here and ds (19) claims all of his friends are the same and it’s normal in lockdown (not sure how he knows that at its never happened before). My 13 year old is also turning into a night owl. I‘ve given up now and just decided to leave them to it but a bit worried about their sleep patterns when we get back to normal.

[ellanwood]

They would if they could but school have created online lessons for them so they have to sign into the register online at 8.45 and be in class by 9.15. By choice DS1 wouldn't surface before 1pm.

[Notonetojudge]

ellanwood is that a private school?
My ds, y11, is about to go to one for sixth form and has been told he has to work from 8.45am to 2.55pm six days a week from 11 May. He’s unimpressed as currently he’s up around 12 😂

[Frenchfancy]

Dd1 (20)is up at 6am and out of the house by 7 (key worker) and that gets the rest of the house going. Dd2 (19) gets up and goes foe a run before being at her desk by 8:15am. DD3 (13) has always been an early riser but is getting later and later as lock down goes on. We try and make sure she's up by 9 on school days but weekends are more like 10:30.

I couldn't cope with them being up at night time unless they were quiet in their rooms. I find it difficult enough to sleep as it is.

[MintyCedric]

DD's 15.5 and is a night owl but then I've always been the same.

We're up between 8.30-9. Home school/WFH until about 1pm, lunch, I do a bit more work and she chills out for a couple of hours, then we both nap from 3-5pm, after which she goes out for a walk and I make dinner. We got sleep about 2am, so we're getting enough sleep, just split over two sessions per day instead of all in one chunk.

I love it, but we'll be stuffed when we have to go back to work/school!