14 hours of sleep for a 12 y/o??

[ProgressCity]

If he's growing that much it probably is just a growth spurt causing the sleeping in.

The only other thing I would think of would be mono. I had it as a kid and I didn't have any other symptoms other than sleeping a lot. I went to the doctor a few months later to have a blood test done for something unrelated and the doctor said it showed that I had mono and that it stays in the system for months.

I wouldn't be overly concerned if he's feeling fine. I go through phases where I need more sleep than others. I honestly think it keeps me from getting sick because my body fights things off when they're just getting started. When I used to have a job I got sick a lot, but ever since I started working for myself and stopped using an alarm clock I am never sick except for migraines.

If the sleep isn't interfering with his life then I say let him. It's one of the benefits he gets for having parents that made the commitment to homeschooling . Why force a kid to go through life drowsy if he can get a few more hours of sleep and be alert for life and still get everything he needs to done .

 

[disfan07]

Something has changed in him in the past month or so.

Well theres the answer to your question. If you think something has changed that is causing him to sleep, you need to think back through the past month to figure out if anything has changed in his life or you need to take him to the doctors to see if its something medical that is causing it.

Everyone on this board can give you as much advice as humanly possible but no ne here knows what is different in his life than a month ago. Only you and your family knows that.

 

[BelleWDW]

Maybe I missed it but I don't remember being asked. Not sure why it matters but he is homeschooled.

Really? Maybe he's bored with the one on one with mom all day. Maybe he needs the structure of a regular school-that will get him out of bed.

 

[Callie]

For the 3 years in high school, I went to an Alternative School that started at noon. I went to bed at 11pm, and woke up 10:30. Even in college, I'm still sleeping 10-13 hours nightly. I'd sleep more if i could. Some people just need more sleep, and certain medications also cause it. Does he fall asleep quickly?

 

[pixiepower1971]

Really? Maybe he's bored with the one on one with mom all day. Maybe he needs the structure of a regular school-that will get him out of bed.

That is a rather rude statement!

 

[LisaR]

Really? Maybe he's bored with the one on one with mom all day. Maybe he needs the structure of a regular school-that will get him out of bed.

OMG! Thank you so much. You must be right. I will run out on Monday and sign him up. Good to know that kids that go to school happily jump out of bed every morning. I know I certainly did.

What an incredibly rude statement to make. I had so much more typed out but you aren't worth it.

 

[Sparx]

OMG! Thank you so much. You must be right. I will run out on Monday and sign him up. Good to know that kids that go to school happily jump out of bed every morning. I know I certainly did.

What an incredibly rude statement to make. I had so much more typed out but you aren't worth it.

i wasn't bright eyed and busy tailed every single day, but i was in class at 6.30 am every day i had class.

structure is not necessarily a bad thing.

(and yes, i know that teenagers need extra sleep. i took naps and went to bed early, but i still made it to class every day)

 

[horseshowmom]

Hello,
Education/Psychology major here.

Teenagers biologically require more sleep than other people because their brains and bodies are changing at an alarming rate. If this country's education system really was built for kids H.S students wouldn't start until 10am and would go until late afternoon since this late night/late morning is there normal sleep pattern. This has biological basis and if your son is exhibiting no other symptoms of depression I'd attribute it to normal biological response to his teen years. He'll most likely go back to his original sleeping schedule as he gets older. Most of them do.

Despite what some other posters think, tenenagers do tend to need a bit more sleep than average because of the physical changes going on in their bodies.

Sounds like the combo of teenager-hood and the new allergy med may be the culprit. I wouldn't worry too much.

I agree. I'm one who has always needed more sleep than others. I really need 9 hours and don't mind getting 10 (which rarely happens). Allergy meds really knock me out (some more than others), so if I add them to the mix, I'm out!

As you said earlier, you're going to experiment with the allergy meds and if that doesn't solve it, you're going to make a doctor's appt. It sounds like you have everything under control!

 

[pixiepower1971]

i wasn't bright eyed and busy tailed every single day, but i was in class at 6.30 am every day i had class.

structure is not necessarily a bad thing.

(and yes, i know that teenagers need extra sleep. i took naps and went to bed early, but i still made it to class every day)

She never said that there was no structure to his day. Just because a child is homeschooled does not mean that the day is a free for all. Most homeschooled children have jam packed schedules that would leave most people exhausted! He just has options to how his day is structured. What a nice way to live!
OP- I would check his meds and not worry too much. Everyone is different and teens need the extra sleep. If he is getting everything accomplished and is happy..let him be!

 

[Sparx]

She never said that there was no structure to his day. Just because a child is homeschooled does not mean that the day is a free for all. Most homeschooled children have jam packed schedules that would leave most people exhausted! He just has options to how his day is structured. What a nice way to live!
OP- I would check his meds and not worry too much. Everyone is different and teens need the extra sleep. If he is getting everything accomplished and is happy..let him be!

i have been homeschooled and gone to public school, i know there is structure there. but, having a set time to wake up is really what i was referring to.

 

[LisaR]

i wasn't bright eyed and busy tailed every single day, but i was in class at 6.30 am every day i had class.

structure is not necessarily a bad thing.

(and yes, i know that teenagers need extra sleep. i took naps and went to bed early, but i still made it to class every day)

And exactly where on earth did you gather that my son doesn't have any structure? You don't have a clue what he does or the activities that he is involved in. Nothing like making major assumptions. Amazing how a sleeping issue has now turned into a homeschooling debate. If I went on a thread about a kid that was hitting others, failing math, having tantrums, or anyone of the numerous threads that grace these boards daily, and said the reason the kid was acting that way was because he went to school, there would be outrage. My son starts sleeping more over the past month and it is because he lacks structure in his life and is bored all because of homeschooling. Wow! Just wow.

 

[LisaR]

I agree. I'm one who has always needed more sleep than others. I really need 9 hours and don't mind getting 10 (which rarely happens). Allergy meds really knock me out (some more than others), so if I add them to the mix, I'm out!

As you said earlier, you're going to experiment with the allergy meds and if that doesn't solve it, you're going to make a doctor's appt. It sounds like you have everything under control!

Thanks to you and everyone else that has given sound, reasonable advice and pointed out a few options. I believe I have some clues as to what is going on (allergy meds, growth spurt) and if that doesn't change with the old medication, I will get a complete blood work up.

I will not be back to this thread. A few of you are so not worth my energy tonight or any night. Sleep well. I know my bored, unstructured son will.

 

[Schmeck]

I'd take him to get checked out to see if the sleep apnea has returned - a growth spurt could have caused changes in the throat and neck too. If the average teen needs 9 1/2 hours of sleep, then I'd not be worried if he was getting 11 hours - but you say he sleeps 14 hours??? That really is excessive and not healthy. Something's up, and some bloodwork and consultation with a doctor may clear things up.

 

[BelleWDW]

:

What an incredibly rude statement to make. I had so much more typed out but you aren't worth it.

Your kid is waking up at 10 am. I would guess that 99% of parents on this board have their kids up at 6-7am to eat breakfast and catch the bus or ride to school. That was my point. Make him start "class" at 9am to get him out of bed.

There apparently is something not quite right with your son's sleeping patterns. Hope you figure it out with a doctor perhaps?


Background: He took two 2 hours naps a day until he was four and than he took one 2 hour nap a day until he was six. He has almost always had an 8PM bedtime and is honestly sound asleep by 8:02PM.
Also-the napping your son took was way, way over the norm when he was little.Kids usually dont nap after the age of 3. Did your pedistrician say anything back then?

 

[mariolatry]

Background: He took two 2 hours naps a day until he was four and than he took one 2 hour nap a day until he was six. He has almost always had an 8PM bedtime and is honestly sound asleep by 8:02PM.
Also-the napping your son took was way, way over the norm when he was little.Kids usually dont nap after the age of 3. Did your pedistrician say anything back then?

If a child is still able to sleep at night, after a nap like that, then he/she must need the sleep. I'm guessing her pediatrician wouldn't bat his eye.

Get a few blood tests, just to be safe. If nothing is amiss, let him sleep. I remember sleep 12+ hours per day from the ages of 12-18 and I miss those days!

 

[BelleWDW]

If a child is still able to sleep at night, after a nap like that, then he/she must need the sleep. !

Really? 4 hours of naps and 12 hours of night sleep-the child was only awake for 8 hours!

 

[justhat]

Really? 4 hours of naps and 12 hours of night sleep-the child was only awake for 8 hours!

That does seem excessive for a 4yo now that you mention that. My son loves his sleep and until September he was napping 2 hours a day and sleeping 11 hours at night. But he also just turned 3yo at that time (August) when he dropped the nap in September and is now just sleeping about 11.5 hours at night. And this is a kid who has always told us when he's tired and wants a nap or to go to bed, so he definitely likes his sleep. I imagine if a full year from now if he were still doing not only the 2 hour afternoon nap, but also a 2 hour morning nap, that would be odd.


I would have your son checked out by a dr, OP, because it does seem like an excessive amount of sleep. Also, I would start with getting him an alarm clock and have him get up by 9am everyday. I know you said after 2 days he was going to bed at 7pm, but see what would happen if you stuck to the routine. Maybe he'd get used to it and go back to his regular bedtime and be fine. If not, then I would really think something is wrong.

 

[mcco5543]

OP,

If your son is irritated by the fact that he's sleeping more, and it ends up to be nothing, (blood work is fine, allergy med doesn't seem to be a factor etc..) maybe you can show him some literature regarding teens needing more sleep and it will help him feel better about it! And if it still bothers him that much, he can always set an alarm to his preffered wake up time. An alarm never hurt anyone as long as he's not insisting he get himself up at 6am. As a teen, he really does need (and deserve!) that extra sleep. But if he's an early to bed type of kid and he wants to get up around 8 ish by setting an alarm I'm sure 12 hours of sleep will be plenty for him.

 

[horseshowmom]

Kids usually dont nap after the age of 3. Did your pedistrician say anything back then?

It's been a long time since my daughter was small, and I really don't remember when she stopped taking naps, but I know that our kindergarten students at school take naps every day.

 

[disfan07]

I was also thinking it was a little odd for a 6 year old to be taking a 2 hour nap every day. AT that point I would have thought something was a little off.

Where I work, we would love it if all of our 3 year olds were still napping.lol. The majority of our 4/5 year olds (probably like 85% of them) do not nap at all during nap time. By that point they only get about 1 1/2 hours for a nap anyway.

I agree that he should be getting up earlier. Not saying that your day is not structured but maybe you need to start it earlier. If every 12 year old who goes to public/private school can manage to get up at like 6:30 AM I think your son could manage getting up at like 9AM to start homeschooling.
If you try that though, you need to be constant with it. His body will need time to readjust so yes he probably will be more tired teh first few days but in the end he should adjust.
It's kid of like changing time zones. Your body needs time to adjust