Understanding sleep and your mental health – for 11-18 year olds

Common myths and opinions about sleep

It can be confusing and worrying if you feel like you're not getting enough sleep, or good enough sleep. You might have heard lots of different opinions about how you should sleep, but good sleep can mean something different for everyone.

Let's look at some common ideas you might have heard about sleep.

Sleep is linked to mental health – true

If we sleep badly, we might begin to feel less well. Being tired can make us feel low or anxious. If you're struggling with how you're feeling, it might affect your sleep too.

Sleeping is something you have to learn how to do – false

Falling asleep is something your brain and body do together naturally. There aren't necessarily things you have to do, or actions you need to take for it to happen. It's okay to struggle with falling asleep too, and there are things that can help you fall asleep more easily.

Everyone needs the same amount of sleep – false

There's no perfect amount of sleep. It's different for everyone. How much sleep you need depends on many different things, like your age and what's going on in your day-to-day life.

It's important to think about how good your sleep is as well as how much you're getting. If you're feeling tired during the day and struggling with things then you could need more sleep, or better sleep.

At sleepovers, all of my friends would happily fall asleep and I would sit in bed sadly, knowing that I would be awake and alone for hours.

Young people need more sleep than adults – mostly true

As a young person, you might find that your sleep looks different to people who are older than you.

You might need more sleep to cope with changes in your body and your brain. For example, going through physical changes like puberty can affect your sleep. You might also find that it takes you longer to fall asleep or that you get tired later than someone older than you.

A typical amount of sleep for a young person is between 7 and 11 hours each night, more for younger people, but everyone is different.

It's normal for your sleep to change – true

Just as it's normal for things in your life to change, it's normal for your sleep to change too.

Over time, you might find that you:

• Find it harder to fall asleep
• Prefer to stay awake later at night and get up later in the day
• Have different sleep patterns to people older than you
• Sleep less than you did when you were younger

Changes to your sleep and sleep difficulties are common, but they can get better in time. For more information, see our tips to help with your sleep.

Struggling with your sleep is bad for your health – it's complicated

Lots of research says that bad sleep might be bad for your mental and physical health, but nothing is very clear. And if you're struggling with your sleep, there might be other things affecting your life and your health. It can be hard to separate them out.

We don't have clear scientific research to know that poor sleep is causing anything on its own. Our lives have lots of things going on and can be very complicated. Sometimes it's important to just do what works best for you.

It can be difficult not to worry about things like struggling with your sleep. Try to remember that there are lots of other ways of looking after your wellbeing that might be easier.

How can poor sleep affect me?

Struggling with sleep can be different for everyone.

Some problems you might experience are:

• Finding it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, like waking up earlier than you wanted to
• Having specific things disturb your sleep, like nightmares or memories
• Finding it hard to wake up, get out of bed or stay awake during the day
• Feeling tired or sleepy during the day
• Sleeping so much that it affects your daily life

My mental health has a big impact on my sleep. Sometimes, if my head is cluttered with events going on in my life, my brain cannot shut off and therefore I get little sleep.

If you're struggling with poor sleep, you might find that you:

• Struggle to cope with your emotions, like getting annoyed easily, or feeling angry. You might also feel overwhelmed and find yourself more worried about certain things.
• Struggle with your mental health or feel like symptoms of a mental health problem are worse.
• Feel physically unwell, like having headaches or stomach pain. Poor sleep could also make physical health problems you have feel worse.
• Feel like you have no energy. This might make it harder for you to concentrate at school or work, or do things you normally enjoy doing.
• Struggle with friendships and relationships, like arguing more with people you’re close to.
• Feel like you’re taking more risks, like changing the way you drink alcohol, or take drugs.

Struggling with your sleep can affect you in different ways if it lasts for a long or short amount of time. Everyone is different and you might find some things are harder to cope with than others.

My biggest tip would have to be don't be too hard on yourself. It's really common to struggle with your sleep, but there are lots of great tips out there to help you.

Types of sleep problems and experiences

Sometimes struggling with our sleep can become or be a part of a wider sleep problem.

There are lots of types of sleeping problems that you might have heard of, or experienced. We've given some examples below.

Insomnia

Insomnia is the term doctors and healthcare professionals use if you have problems sleeping on a regular basis. You might be experiencing insomnia if you're struggling with going to sleep and staying asleep.

Night terrors and nightmares

If you're having a night terror you might talk, shout or move about in your sleep, but you're unlikely to remember it in the morning.

Nightmares are bad dreams that you wake up from. You can sometimes remember them once you have woken up.

Sleep paralysis

If you're experiencing sleep paralysis, you might feel like you can't move or speak when you wake up, or when you're falling asleep. This can be really frightening. You might also feel like someone is in your room or that something is pushing down on you.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking means you might walk or do things while you're asleep. Although your eyes are open, you might not be aware of what you're doing or recognise other people.

Sleepwalking is common but it can also be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep. If you're feeling stressed or anxious, you could be more likely to sleepwalk.

Where else can I get support?

Whatever you're experiencing, and whatever you're feeling, is valid. If you think you could have a sleep problem, or if you're struggling with your sleep and mental health, you deserve help.

As well as trying some of our sleep tips, you could talk to your doctor. They might have suggestions on things that could help. They could refer you to a service like Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), who might be able to help you cope with how you're feeling. Your doctor could also refer you to a sleep clinic to help manage sleep disorders. But it can take a while to get an appointment for these services.

Don't be afraid to get help for your sleep, it's really important to your life.

Sleep medication

Sleep medication isn't usually given to young people. Normally, it's only given if nothing else has worked and your sleep is very poor.

You could also be prescribed medication for sleep if you have a mental health problem or are neurodivergent – for example, if you're autistic, or have ADHD. Sometimes medication you're already on can help with sleep, too.

If you're thinking about trying products to help you sleep from somewhere like a pharmacy, it's best to talk to your doctor about it first.