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Why Sleep Medication Doesn’t Work for Teens

By Emily Puro

Dr. Joshua Ramseyer, director of the Legacy Sleep Disorders Center, sees many teens who have tried medication to promote sleep without success. That’s because they don’t suffer from insomnia, he says, they have Delayed Sleep Phase.

“If you give a kid (with Delayed Sleep Phase) sleep medication at 10 o’clock at night,” he says, “of course it’s not going to work. It’s like taking sleep medication in the middle of the afternoon for one of us. You have to take it proximal to a realistic sleep time.” Instead, we need to help them advance their phase to a more reasonable schedule with a consistent wake time, bright morning light, low evening light, and assistance in managing their schedules and their stress levels.