World Sleep Day - #SleepWellLiveBetter

Mar 7
6 min read

Updated: Jul 22

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Friday 13 March 2026 marks World Sleep Day - so let's take a dive into why it's vital your teen is getting enough shut-eye! Sleep is an essential part of good health, so make sure your child is getting enough rest. Without it, your teen will struggle with tiredness, irritability, lack of concentration, poor diet (not wanting to eat, or eating too many of the wrong things) and they’re less likely to exercise. All of which is bad news for their ability to cope with school and life in general. Of course, getting them to go to bed is easier said than done, so let's look at ways to head towards this goal.

How much sleep is enough?

Teenagers need a lot of sleep given the huge changes taking place in their bodies – somewhere between eight and ten hours each night. Tempting though it may be for them to study late into the night, they will be much better off putting work aside and getting into bed. Of course, studying is not always the problem! They also need to stop scrolling or watching boxsets to allow enough time for a good night’s sleep — blue light and late-night stimulation delay sleep.

Many teenagers view bedtime as a punishment rather than a reward – it’s eating into time they’d rather spend doing something else. So it’s important that you help them understand the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep: better concentration so they can get things done quicker, feeling more alert so they can take in information more effectively, and having more energy to get the most out of their day.

To find the right time to go to sleep, they should work backwards! If they have to get up at 7.00am, then they need to be asleep by 11.00pm – which probably means being in bed much earlier – after all, not many of us fall asleep as soon as we get into bed. Be firm about bedtime when they’re in their mid-teens. At this stage you can insist they go to bed at the right time, which should encourage them to stick to a similar routine when they reach their late teens when it’s not so easy for you to tell them what to do.

Mobiles and screens – setting boundaries at bedtime

Getting enough sleep can be severely impaired by your teen’s ready access to a 24/7 online community via social media, not to mention their compulsion to play games and catch up with box sets late into the night.

Encourage good habits. At least 30 minutes of screen-free time before settling down to sleep is always a good idea. It doesn’t mean doing nothing or taking their phone away – they could listen to audiobooks, podcasts or relaxing music, where the phone is closed (so no glare or visual stimulation) and they can enjoy listening to something relaxing as they drift off to sleep. There are timers too, so they don’t need to fret that if they do fall asleep, their phone will be running all night.

Get them to use their mobiles to their advantage! Set phones to bedtime mode during sleeping hours so they’re not distracted by the tempting ping of alerts and messages they feel they must immediately view. The names may vary depending on whether they have Android or Apple phones (for example “DND - do not disturb” or "Sleep Focus"), but the functionality is similar. It helps them automatically silence most incoming calls and messages at times they set, whilst allowing exceptions for emergency numbers. They can also use the phone’s night screen settings to reduce screen glare throughout the evening (white light on bright screens prevents sleepiness). Establishing good phone habits now will benefit them hugely later in life too.

Day and night: healthy phone habits will help teens sleep better

Creating rules for the whole family can be an effective way of encouraging boundaries around phone use. When you’re all in it together, they don’t feel singled out. Of course, this means you have to stick to the rules too!

no phones at the table during mealtimes
no phone use when watching TV or films together as a family
no phones before school or work
no phone use after 10:00pm

Going to bed: creating a routine to help your teen get enough sleep

Creating a bedtime routine, such as switching the phone to silent, putting it away 30 minutes before bed, taking a bath, having a hot drink and dimming the lights, can all help calm the mind and prepare it for sleep. Sticking to a similar routine every night signals to the body that it is time for bed and helps it switch off, so try to get your child into the habit of doing the same things before bed and going to sleep at a similar time (especially on week nights).

Encourage your teen to keep a notebook where any worries or important things to do the next day can be jotted down. This prevents the mind turning over once the lights go out and fretting about forgetting things, thus preventing sleep.

If they share a room, curtaining off their sleeping area helps give them some personal space.

Practical tips to help get enough sleep

Keeping the room at the right temperature, making sure it's clutter free, using clean sheets and darkening the room at night are all practical ways you can encourage your teen to enjoy better sleep.

Avoid lie-ins

At the other end of the day, try to set a routine so they get up at a similar time each morning and, hard though it may be, try to limit lie-ins at the weekend to just an extra hour or so in bed. Long lie-ins disrupt their sleeping rhythm, making it harder for them to go to sleep at an appropriate time on Sunday night and, consequently, harder to wake up on time on Monday mornings.

Where possible, bedtimes and get-up times should be similar from one day to the next, allowing the body to synch to a regular cycle. Make plans for weekend mornings so they have a reason to get up, if there aren’t activities through school or they aren’t inclined to organise anything themselves.

Self-reliance builds resilience

If your teen is struggling to get up every morning, encourage them to take a look at the Teen Sleep Hub. This UK charity has lots of resources for teens, and your teen may be more likely to act on advice from an independent source than from a close family member, even if the advice is exactly the same!

Empowering your teen to take charge of their own behaviours should also help boost their confidence. It's good for them to know they can solve problems for themselves by taking steps towards solutions.

There's guidance on it for parents too!

Don't make it a battle

It’s not easy telling teens what to do. It might be possible to put your foot down with younger teens and insist on certain behaviours at bedtime (such as phones off) but this may not be possible with older teens. However, if you can be firm about bedtime and winding down before sleep when they’re in their mid-teens, there’s a better chance they’ll continue good habits by themselves in the future.

Whatever their age, have conversations with your teen about using mobiles sensibly. Try to have these conversations at times when neither of you is tired nor emotional. This avoids heated discussions or rows, and you’re much more likely to reach a compromise that suits you both.

Walk your talk!

Are you setting a good example? The older your child gets, the harder it is for you to insist on what they do, but you can encourage them by being a great role model. It might be harder for them to get into good sleep patterns if you are not following the advice you give them.