It's summer and kids wake up later than usual. Not me. I go to bed at 10 p.m. and sleep well, but l wake up at 7 a.m. and find it hard to fall asleep again. Why is this happening and should I do something about it?
– Lin

It sounds like there's no need for you to do anything differently. From what you say, you're getting enough sleep (most teens need between 8 and 10 hours each night) and you're sleeping well. In fact you're doing one of the best things you can do to get a restful night's sleep — going to bed at the same time every night. So you may naturally wake up at 7 a.m. because your body has had the right amount of sleep to meet its needs.

Not all teens wake up later in the summer. Many do because they stay up late or they have trouble falling asleep the night before. But some people wake up earlier in the summer because the sun rises earlier, making it harder to stay asleep.

Once summer vacation starts, lots of people have the luxury of sleeping in because there's no need to get up for school. But that doesn't mean everyone should sleep in. We all have different body clocks.

Morning is a great time to get things done. Instead of lying in bed trying to fall back to sleep when your body has had enough, get up and take advantage of the extra time. Fix a healthy breakfast, do your chores, or fit in some exercise with a walk, run, or bike ride.

For more information, read these articles:
How Much Sleep Do I Need?
5 Ideas for Better Sleep

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: April 2008

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