Regardless of what age, where you live, how many classes you are taking, or how stressful your job may or may not be… This is for YOU!
If you keep up with my social media, you may already know that I am a high school senior taking on a few college classes this year to help myself get a head start for next year. For a while now, this blog has been a part-time job to work on and like most of my peers, I’ve recently scored another job for extra cash.
In between all of these things, though, there must be room for bathing, eating, sleeping, and personal interests. While most of those sound like requirements for a happy, healthy life, many teenagers skip out on them simply because there is too much to do in too short of a time.
How do we cope with this? Well, most of us don’t. It means shorter rest periods, less food intake, and even letting go of pastime activities that keep our brains busy without stressing us out. For myself, this sometimes means not posting to the blog, or going to bed at midnight just to get up again at 6 am.
Sonja Lewis, founder, and host of the You Inside Out (UIO) podcast took notice of this unsettling trend in young adults, primarily young women, and is now bringing attention to the nasty side effects it brings. Hosting educated professionals, she discusses the way sleep deprivation, social anxiety, and internet usage play into the daily roles of young adults.
The other two seasons of the podcast were a smashing success and focus on a wide range of important topics to consider during your teen years.
While all of her podcast episodes thus far have been extremely informative and enlightening on subjects that are often dismissed without a second thought, I’ll be focused on the sleep deprivation episode that highlights what young adults need to maintain sleep health.
In her episode with Nerina Ramlakhan, a psychologist and sleep therapist, she discusses the major impact that sleep has on overall health, as well as the factors such as technology that can change the way our body wants or needs sleep.
Being a teenager myself, I can definitely relate to the fact that I need more sleep than a fully grown adult. I also appreciate the lack of blame placed on technology use, as much of youth difficulties are dismissed.
Nerina Ramlakhan speaks from experience when discussing the recurring struggle of oversleeping and undersleeping in the younger generation. With a daughter herself, she understands how stress can impact the want to oversleep or even keep you up the night before an exam.
Her advice? Get yourself out of the “perpetual fatigue” that unhealthy habits fuel on a daily basis.
Here are a few tips Nerina gives, but be sure to listen to the podcast here, so you don’t miss out on the others!
- Cut down on sugary or caffeinated drinks
- Don’t eat too late at night
- Keep your phone AWAY from your bed!
- Meditate for a moment before bed, even if it just means reflecting on your day
While these may seem like rudimentary solutions to a major problem for many young adults, they truly do impact the way your body wants and needs sleep. You may have heard of your body’s “internal clock” before, which is exactly what Nerina mentions in this episode.
Each of these factors, along with plenty of others, can contribute to your body’s way of saying “hey! I really need some extra sleep tonight!” and can lead to you being fatigued the next morning. If you feel that no matter how long you sleep, you wake up exhausted, I would definitely pay attention to what is mentioned in the episode.
The impact that diet, exercise, and stress can have on your internal clock is phenomenal and I have been sleeping much better since making these changes a few months back. The new tips should help me sleep even better!
So what if you have no trouble sleeping?
I know I could nap the day away when given the chance!
There are plenty of other episodes of the UIO Podcast on topics like dating, bullying, and personal development. But it isn’t just for girls!
While the podcast is mostly targeted at teen girls, these discussions are important for all young adults who are getting ready to pursue adulthood. Being hosted by an accomplished woman, these discussions are something to listen in on if you look forward to personal growth.
I related to a lot of the things said in the podcast episodes I have listened to so far, which includes the episodes on sleep, personal development, and personal values.
Unlike most adults who share their opinion on “teen” topics, Sonja Lewis and her guests acknowledge how hard the younger generations must work to keep floating above the water.
I found a lot of what Sonja and Nerina said to be applicable to my own life and I am sure you will too! If you are looking for more from the You Inside Out podcast, be sure to check out the blog featured on Sonja’s website, found here.
In fact, there are several instances when Sonja mentions how much is expected of teenagers and encourages us to challenge ourselves while listening to our personal limits.
In my post “I Am a Sufferer of the Tired Teen Epidemic” I talk about the struggles of school interfering with sleep patterns and how it dramatically affects my performance as a student and young woman.
While I may not have a Ph.D. or be a professional sleep therapist, I have tons of personal experience regarding poor sleep at the hand of a stressful day. I highly recommend you all listen to Sonja’s podcast and take a look at my post linked above if you find sleep, safety, or personal growth to be important factors in your life—and don’t forget to share some love in the comments on my guest post, linked here!
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