Understanding Adolescents: Do They all Really Sleep that Much!?

Written by: Melena Postolowski, MA

Short answer: yes, yes they do.

I regularly meet with concerned parents who wonder whether or not their adolescent is “normal.” We review concerns such as mood fluctuations, sleeping in late and engaging in risk-taking or more “defiant” behavior. Without taking away from the difficulties parents are having with these changes, I do get to reassure them that, in many cases, these are expected behaviors for teenagers.  Understanding what is going on in the teenage brain in addition to reviewing the developmental tasks teenagers face can help in understanding this behavior with more empathy.

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