Generation Sleepless

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A book review of Generation Sleepless: Why Tweens and Teens Aren’t Sleeping Enough and How We Can Help Them by Heather Turgeon, MFT, and Julie Wright, MFT.

A book review of Generation Sleepless: Why Tweens and Teens Aren't Sleeping Enough and How We Can Help Them by Heather Turgeon, MFT, and Julie Wright, MFT.

Stars: *****

TarcherPerigee (2022)
Sleep
304 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: If you could protect your teen from unnecessary anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, and foster a greater sense of happiness and well-being in their life, wouldn’t you? In Generation Sleepless, the authors of the classic guide to helping babies and young children develop healthy sleep habits The Happy Sleeper uncover one of the greatest threats to our teenagers’ physical and mental health: sleep deprivation. Caught in a perfect storm of omnipresent screens, academic overload, night owl biology and early school start times, Generation Sleepless illustrates how our teens are operating in a constant state of sleep debt and “social jet lag” while struggling to meet the demands of adolescence.

In this essential book, Heather Turgeon, MFT and Julie Wright, MFT draw on the latest scientific research to reveal that, at a critical phase of development, many teens need more sleep than their younger siblings, but they’re getting drastically less

Generation Sleepless

If you have ever worried about a tween or teens sleep, (and who hasn’t,) this book is for you. I’ve read a lot about sleep help but this is the best I’ve read on the subject. Although the book is about tween/teen sleep it is great advice for older people too in some cases. However it’s definitely designed for the 8-18 age. As my kids range in age from 8-18 right now, it’s perfect. All of my kids have had sleep issues of one form or another. Some constant, some occasionally.

The advice includes the often heard ideas like limit electronics and caffeinated drinks before bed. However it explains both in detail and with scientific background why it matters. Case studies of real people are included to.

The book is divided into two parts. The Perfect Storm and Navigating the Storm. The first part explains why sleep problems is so rampant in this day and age. Chapter titles are: The Great Sleep Recession, The Essential Nutrient of the Adolescent Brain, Adolescent Sleep, Screens/Teens/Missing Link, Early Start Times and the Academic Overload.

The second part is about practical tools for dealing with these problems. The Five Habits of Happy Sleepers, The Parent Fade, Empathetic and Effective Communication: the ALP Method and The Sleep Challenge.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to all parents and even teens themselves.

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About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.