My 11-year-old son has a very difficult time waking up in the morning. He is in such a deep sleep that it takes 20 minutes to fully wake him. Is there anything I can do to help?
- Steven

In general, some kids (and some adults) find it particularly hard to wake up in the morning. It's important to make sure that your son gets plenty of sleep, which generally means at least 9 hours each night.

Try to maintain his sleep routine by not allowing him to sleep too late on the weekends — an extra hour or two is fine, but sleeping too long could throw his schedule out of whack. Also, you might want to make sure that he's not staying up extra late in his room after you think he's gone to bed.

If you're concerned that something else may be affecting your son's sleep, talk to your doctor.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: October 2012

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