For a long time, teenagers have been stereotyped as lazy, prone to mood swings, and generally difficult to get on with. Although here's a hint of truth in these types of portrayals, we now know that the adolescent age period is marked by many developmental changes, including the circadian system.
These changes to sleep timing are no doubt at the root of the lazy teenager myths, so today we talk to Dr Valerie Crabtree, a sleep researcher, clinical psychologist and mother of two teenagers, about the science of the teenage brain, the risk factors for adolescents who don't get enough sleep, societal challenges, and also offer some practical advice for parents who want to ensure the best possible sleep for their teens.
This Episode's Guest
Valerie Crabtree Ph.D is an Associate Member, Department of Psychology and Chief of Psychosocial Services at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. When she arrived at St. Jude, she focused her research on sleep disturbances in pediatric oncology patients, and her clinical work on sleep complaints, as well as psychological adaptation to cancer and treatment. In 2015, Dr. Crabtree and her co-author, Dr. Lisa Meltzer, published a book, “Pediatric Sleep Problems: A Clinician’s Guide to Behavioral Interventions.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/directory/c/valerie-crabtree.html
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Valerie_Crabtree
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-crabtree-b656157/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drvcrabtree
TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng1i8KuOqVc
Episode Homepage: https://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-and-the-teenage-brain/
