| Guidance to parents | Comments |
| Try to get your teenager to go to bed around the same time each night and wake up around the same time each morning. | Your teen should not need to sleep much later than an hour or so on weekends. This can make it hard to switch back to the school-day schedule. If your teen consistently wants to sleep for more than 2 hours extra on weekends, it suggests that they may not be getting sufficient sleep during the week. |
| Encourage your teen to avoid caffeine (coffee, energy drinks, etc) altogether but particularly in the afternoon and evening. | Caffeine is not a substitute for sufficient sleep. Caffeine can cause insomnia, increase anxiety, and may cause headaches during withdrawal from daily use. |
| Encourage daily exercise, but avoid intense exercise during the 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. | Exercise promotes deeper sleep, but intense exercise before bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep. |
| Don't allow your teen to play computer games, text, or do homework in bed. | The bed should be a quiet place just for relaxation and sleep. |
| Have your teen avoid bright lights from televisions, computers, and cell phones for at least 1 hour before bed. | Light from electronic devices in the hours before bed can shift the body's clock later, making it hard to go to sleep and then harder to wake up in the morning. |
| Encourage natural light exposure first thing in the morning, soon after waking up. | Natural light helps your teen wake up and get the day started. |
| Set limits, like no texting, phone, television, or computer during sleep hours. | Teens are most likely to meet this goal if their parent(s) or guardian(s) set a firm limit, including leaving their phones and any other devices outside of the bedroom. |
