At some point, hormonal and biological changes occur adolescenceaccompanied by psychological changes that lead to sleep disordersAs children age and enter adolescence, the timing of their desire to sleep changes and they become more inclined to stay awake, and many of them sleep early in the morning, and this condition is known as “night owl” syndrome.
Psychologist Christine Alam defines this syndrome as the desire to stay up late, with a tendency to sleep during the day, and these sleep disturbances usually occur due to changes in the internal biological clock. Alam told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “night owl syndrome means delaying bedtime by at least two or three hours, so that the adolescent remains alert until after midnight.”
Alam adds, “This pattern of staying up late can occur due to social influences, including the teen being unable to make friends or relationships due to the ailments he is experiencing.”
A report published by the American site “Healthline” states that most people with this syndrome tend to be depressed, and therefore it is necessary to help them get rid of this disorder and, despite the absence of clear causes for this syndrome, it has been discovered that nutrition can play a role.
The main cause of this syndrome is an “abnormal cortisol rhythm,” says Dr. Stephen Zudkoy, author of Misdiagnosed: The Adrenal Stress Link. “People have higher levels of the hormone in the morning, but people with chronic stress reach this peak.” Later in the day. “
People with “sleeping owl” syndrome have a different brain structure
According to new research, people with this syndrome usually have different brain structures, including differences in gray and white matter, which have been linked to differences in memory, emotional well-being, attention, and empathy.
A study of more than 200 adolescents and their parents, adolescent sleep preferences, emotional and behavioral well-being was conducted, and the participants repeated these questionnaires for seven years and also conducted two separate brain scans for several years and the researchers focused on changes in the structure of the white matter in the brain that allows our brains to process information and function effectively, and it turns out that there is a difference between people with night owl depending on how long they have been exposed to symptoms, and that adolescents who were exposed to it in the age group 12 to 13 were more likely to develop behavioral problems that include an increased amount of mood. However, they were less likely to experience emotional problems such as anxiety or a bad mood.
Despite the results of this study, research points to the possibility of changing some habits of adolescents and motivating them to sleep, for example, exposure to light alters circadian rhythms, affecting sleep preferences, thus reducing exposure to lights to late night Light screens can be one way to regulate sleep times and light exposure in the morning can also help regulate the body’s internal clock and thus wake up early.
Dr. Alam stresses the importance of diet in modifying adolescent behavior and motivating them to sleep, and that “daily meals with integrated elements have important effects on body structure and mental health, as well as on the nervous system and nervous system. which originally controls the human ability to sleep. “
He adds: “It is always advisable to eat a diet rich in elements and vitamins, to stay away from saturated fat foods and to cut down on energy drinks in the evening, because they practically stimulate the brain, and therefore sleep disturbances.”
