Tips to help teens sleep

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The following are some guidelines recommended by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, that parents can use to help their teenagers return to a healthy sleep cycle:

1 - Start early. Don't wait until school starts to modify your child's sleep routine.

2 - Make incremental changes. Inch wake up times by 15 minutes or so. You can't force children to sleep; but you can enforce wake-up times and adjust their bedtimes accordingly.

3 - Discourage daytime naps. It's hard to get a good night's sleep with a two- or three-hour nap. Try to limit naps to 20 minutes.

4 - Encourage early exercise. Exercise helps children burn off steam during the day, but at night it can keep them up.

5 - Talk about sleep issues. The inability to sleep could be a sign of a bigger issue.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)