Teen sleep: our one-change experiment

Free resource. Print this page or copy the prompts into your own notebook or document. The spaces below are for your own notes, not an online form.

This is a discussion and habit-planning sheet, not a sleep test or treatment plan. The teenager can decide which notes to share.

What would I like to feel easier?

• Getting sleepy / settling worries / waking / daytime energy / something else: ____________________
• What a difficult evening usually looks like: ____________________
• Something that already helps: ____________________

Map the evening fairly

• Fixed demands, including travel, homework or caring: ____________________
• Time I want for friends or interests: ____________________
• Noise, light or other practical difficulties: ____________________
• Something an adult could help change: ____________________

Choose one useful experiment

• Change we will try: ____________________
• When it will happen: ____________________
• What the teenager will do: ____________________
• What the adult or household will do: ____________________
• Any alarm, accessibility or contact needs to plan around: ____________________

Example: “We will make the final hour quieter. I will choose an offline activity and the adults will keep the television volume down.”

A brief review

• Date we will talk again: ____________________
• Did winding down feel easier, harder or unchanged? ____________________
• Did mornings or daytime energy change? ____________________
• What got in the way? ____________________
• Keep, adapt or seek advice? ____________________

Read Evelina London’s teenage sleep guidance for further information. If problems persist, daytime sleepiness is significant or there are breathing concerns, ask a GP or school nurse. Do not treat the worksheet as a reason to delay help or a way to blame someone for not sleeping.

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For ideas to use alongside this resource, read Teenage sleep: agree one helpful change together.