About to Yell ‘Wake Up!’ at Your Teen? Pause. Read This.”

Your teenager just woke up at 11 AM… again, while half your day has already passed. As you enter their room, you find them yawning and contemplating their decision to still wake up or not… As they are about to smash their head on the pillow, you shout, “Get up and stop being lazy!”

But here’s the thing — they weren’t being lazy. They were in their repair mode. The teenage brain is the most exciting, enticing, and confusing subject to study and talk about. With so many changes — physical, emotional, and social — the brain becomes the center of all the chaos.

No, I’m not trying to defend teenagers waking up at 11 AM and get their brownie points just so they attend my classes and stop bullying me. I’m simply stating what brain science has been showing.

Teenage sleep patterns aren’t just a discipline issue; they’re actually driven by cognitive variations — something entirely misunderstood by adults.

So, let’s try to understand what exactly happens (the science bit):

At the onset of puberty, the teenage body welcomes a number of new hormones — especially testosterone in males and estrogen in females — also called sex hormones. As much as teenage parents would like to deny it, the truth remains: yes, these hormones exist in your teenager’s body, just like they did in yours a couple of decades ago (nothing personal).

The sex hormones impact the circadian rhythm — the internal body clock — by delaying the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) in the teenage body. These hormones interact with the pineal gland, which controls melatonin secretion, and delay the process, resulting in a 1–2 hour delay in melatonin production compared to children and adults.

So, no matter how many times you switch off their lights or take a round of their room to check if they’ve slept, until melatonin starts producing in their body, they simply won’t be able to fall asleep.

So, are we blaming everything on the sex hormones? Absolutely not! This is where most parents will be happy — yes, the phones, laptops, and other electronic devices are also equally responsible.

All electronic devices emit blue light, which the teenage brain is extremely sensitive to. As a result, the brain starts thinking it’s still daytime, further suppressing melatonin production — leading to even later nights.

Due to these late nights, teenagers aren’t able to get the recommended 8–10 hours of sleep suggested by the National Sleep Foundation for adequate cognitive development. Anything less than that may impact the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for basic functions like judgment, emotional regulation, impulse control, and long-term planning. Sleep deprivation can lead to:

• Higher irritability and emotional reactivity

• Poor academic focus

• Weaker immune response

• Increased risk of risky behavior

All thanks to a tired prefrontal cortex.

No matter what time teenagers go to bed, they still have to get up by 7 AM to catch the first period. Do the math and answer for yourself: Is your child getting 8 hours of sleep? If not… stop blaming them for being moody, scoring fewer marks, or feeling lazy all the time.

They are in a state of sleep deprivation — all starting with the delayed release of melatonin, caused by a shift in the biological clock, hormonal changes, and modern lifestyle habits.