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How Many ZZZs Do I Need?

It may seem like a lot, but most growing bodies want at least 10 hours of sleep

each night. That doesn’t mean this will happen each and every night, but the

closer you can get to this amount, the better.

But let’s face it, after-school activities, sports, family dinners, and homework

take up a lot of time. If you are waking up for school between 6:00 and 7:00 A.M.,

in order to get 10 hours of sleep you will need to go to bed between 8:00 and

9:00 P.M. This can be tough! It’s always best to get a good night’s sleep every

night, so when you can, get to bed early. But if your sleep routine falls short,

then you do need to make up the missed hours—usually on the weekends. This

is called “catch-up sleep”: You can sleep in late, go to bed super early, or even

take naps. Though catch-up sleep isn’t as good as getting a consistent good

night’s sleep every night, it will help you feel more energized during the week.

If you’re having problems drifting off to dreamland, don’t be too hard on your-

self. Some girls have trouble falling asleep at night, and then when they realize

how late it is, they worry about not being asleep. This only makes things worse,

because it can kick-start those stress hormones and wake you up even more!

Instead of stressing out, distract yourself by taking some deep breaths, reading

for a few minutes, or counting backward by threes from 100 to zero.

Maybe you have tried to get all the sleep you need by going to bed early, but

you wake up at the crack of dawn and aren’t tired anymore. That’s OK! Your

body is doing what it needs. Still aim for that early bedtime in case there are

mornings when you are able to sleep a little bit later.

Tune Out

It’s not great to watch TV, use a computer, or play video games right before bed,

because these kinds of activities can turn your brain “on” and make you feel

more awake. Some girls hear this advice and say, “No way! I zone out when I

stare at a screen. It relaxes me.” You may think it feels that way, but screen time

actually causes your brain to be active instead of calm. So cut back on your

screen time on weeknights as much as possible—do homework that requires a

computer first, and save the paper-based projects for later in the evening.

Reading almost always relaxes the brain and helps you fall asleep. But don’t pick

a book that is too exciting or scary, because this can have the opposite effect!

Reading a story that feels comfortable and soothing is a great way to wind down

for sleep.