“You're too young to be tired.” “You're in the prime of your life.” “Life doesn't get any easier.” Do any of these expressions seem familiar? It's no wonder teenagers are infuriated by the constant encore of negative stereotypes, and disapproving facial expressions; it's as if being grumpy is our state by default. Just like everyone else we have the ability to be happy, sad, anxious, excited - the list is endless. In fact, we frequently avoid being grumpy to avoid being labelled a classic “teenager”.
Parents and elders never seem to understand the suffocating pressures placed upon teenagers: school, jobs, relationships, being labelled, trying to "fit in" and being yourself. Instead of understanding, adults always seem to say: “These are the best years of your life; what's there to be negative about?” Sometimes, you may even wonder if they themselves were ever a teenager.
The main reason for teenagers being grumpy is not due to hormonal changes; it is in fact due to lack of sleep. One survey quoted that only 15% of teens get 8-12 hours of sleep a night - the perfect amount being 9.25 hours. That statistic may not come as a shock to some, but it's something we often don't think about as being the main reason for stress, mood swings, and worry. The number of times students moan about how “tired” they are, or how “rough” they feel, because they went to be at one o'clock in the morning, never-ends. The reason for teens being moody is staring us right in the face.
The bottom line is you need to set a regular time to be in bed by - that doesn't mean the time you get into bed and look at your phone for an hour. The illuminated screen on our devices doesn't help the brain to relax, but instead signals it to stay awake and alert. Ideally, you need to stop using devices at least two hours before you go to sleep to avoid the vicious cycle of broken sleep.
Getting more sleep won't eradicate the feeling of being moody altogether - and it shouldn't! However, it will make you feel more alive for upcoming exams and life in general. Honestly, these years could be the brilliant: you're not an adult with overwhelming responsibilities and you aren’t being treated like a child anymore. So, don't waste these years by being too tired to remember it.