Fatigue in a teenage girl, help me think this through - update in #36

[georgiegirl]

Because of the early bus pick up time, the families in my neighborhood carpool to school so the kids can get an extra 30 min of sleep each day.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

My active teen needs a decent amount of sleep. She wouldn’t be able to keep up her swim schedule if she only got 6-6.5 hours. (My middle child, 9.5, has sleep issues and he usually gets 7-8 hours, which is not enough and it totally impacts his growth, behavior, etc.). While some teens can get by on that little sleep, I think some need more in order to be able to function well.


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But how? Per the pp post about teen bedtime, mine has sports after school, musical til 10+, homework and catches the bus at 6:45. Without musical, he goes to bed between 10-11.


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[sariana]

It’s not very likely, but I would consider lupus. Its early symptoms can include excessive fatigue.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I don’t know... my super active teen also runs on 6-6.5 hours of sleep and doesn’t get affected like that. Not doubting she’s overtired and should sleep more but 1. it’s hard for teens to fall asleep earlier- their brains are just wired to stay up late; 2. Most active teens have to fit a lot in in the evenings and early bedtimes just aren’t realistic; 3. I’d keep checking to see if there’s a medical explanation.


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lack of sleep affects all kids differently - some kids get fatigued, some kids (like my DD) have heightened anxiety/OCD, some have other issues that aren't apparent until till later on.

i think in a minority on this board re: sleep (my kids seem to get way less than most on here, and go to bed later) and even I think 6 hours of sleep per night for a teen is not ideal.

i do agree that teens tend to be wired to stay up later - that is why high school around here doesn't start until 9:00. so i would not blink an eye at a teen staying up until 11:30pm (given all their activities, homework, etc) as long as they could sleep until 7 or later. but if they had to be out the door at 6:30am (meaning awake by 6), then that makes it really hard. The more tired you are, the harder it is to fall asleep, frustrating as that is.

anyway, my DH having obstructive sleep apnea and needing to wear a CPAP every night plus DD's anxiety/OCD issues and them improving dramatically with increased sleep has really opened my eyes to how sleep can affect so many aspects (that i wouldn't normally think). and yeah i fully realize "getting more sleep" is waaaay easier said than done. it does sound like a challenge to navigate this with teens, given how late some activities run in high school and how much studying they have to do!

[georgiegirl]

But how? Per the pp post about teen bedtime, mine has sports after school, musical til 10+, homework and catches the bus at 6:45. Without musical, he goes to bed between 10-11.


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During most of the year, my DD swims until 9. She gets home around 9:30. Asleep between 10:00 and 10:30, so 8-8.5 hours a night, which seems to be a decent amount for teens. (She swims 10+ hours a week.). She wakes up at 6:30. As I mentioned, my neighbors and I decided to carpool to school so the kids can get an extra 30 min of sleep every morning. She does her homework right after school, so she doesn’t have to do it after swim.


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[Dayzy]

Please take her in to the doctor and have bloodwork done. My 11 year old DS was acting tired all the time, very cranky. I was blaming all the activities and the cruddy weather making us all feel down. By the time I gave in because he was feeling sick one morning the doctor took one look and called an ambulance. He was admitted with a blood glucose level of 620 and is a type 1 diabetic. I'll never brush anything off again.

[SnuggleBuggles]

lack of sleep affects all kids differently - some kids get fatigued, some kids (like my DD) have heightened anxiety/OCD, some have other issues that aren't apparent until till later on.

i think in a minority on this board re: sleep (my kids seem to get way less than most on here, and go to bed later) and even I think 6 hours of sleep per night for a teen is not ideal.

i do agree that teens tend to be wired to stay up later - that is why high school around here doesn't start until 9:00. so i would not blink an eye at a teen staying up until 11:30pm (given all their activities, homework, etc) as long as they could sleep until 7 or later. but if they had to be out the door at 6:30am (meaning awake by 6), then that makes it really hard. The more tired you are, the harder it is to fall asleep, frustrating as that is.

anyway, my DH having obstructive sleep apnea and needing to wear a CPAP every night plus DD's anxiety/OCD issues and them improving dramatically with increased sleep has really opened my eyes to how sleep can affect so many aspects (that i wouldn't normally think). and yeah i fully realize "getting more sleep" is waaaay easier said than done. it does sound like a challenge to navigate this with teens, given how late some activities run in high school and how much studying they have to do!

It's not ideal (I don't think I said it was) just that it was reality for many teens. It would be amazing if our school moved to a later start. Actually, they did this year... a whopping 20 minutes. The 20 minutes makes a difference though as at least some of the year not it isn't pitch black when he gets on the bus at least.

[KpbS]

Maybe melatonin would help her get to sleep earlier and get more sleep overall.


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This is what I would suggest. Aim for bed 9:30-10 pm. No screens after 9. Period.
I'm sorry she’s feeling bad.

[specialp]

Did the bloodwork include a CBC?

[MSWR0319]

Did the bloodwork include a CBC?

Did they check her ferritin level or just iron? I was having extreme fatigue and my iron came back fine. I finally pushed her to check my ferritin and it was 13. We're working to get it up to 75-80 and even just at 35 I'm feeling better.