Sleep Ninja app boosts teen mental health
Who would have thought a teenager’s mobile phone could improve their mental health? But a new app is doing just that by helping them get a good night’s sleep
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Who would have thought a teenager’s mobile phone could help them manage their mental health by supporting a good night’s sleep?
A new app aimed at 12- to 16-year-olds is showing strong early results doing just that, improving both the hours of sleep and reducing depression and anxiety.
Sleep Ninja, a free app created by mental health research organisation the Black Dog Institute, has shown significant early results in improving teenagers’ sleep patterns, so critical not just for school readiness but for overall good mental health, co-creator Aliza Werner-Seidler said.
“Adolescents struggle to get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night,” Dr Werner-Seidler, a clinical psychologist*, said.
“As a result, approximately 40 per cent of all young people will experience a significant sleep problem by early high school which heightens their risk of mental ill-health.
“Sleep difficulties are a risk factor for the onset of mental ill-health, and insomnia* is a symptom of a range of disorders including depression and anxiety.”
Dr Werner-Seidler said those using the app nominated a time to be up in the morning to make it to school or other activities. From there, it worked backwards, determining when they should be in bed.
“The app gives an alert to start a pre-bed routine, which commences at least an hour before bed time,” Dr Werner-Seidler said.
“Part of that routine is to put the phone and other devices away, and engage in behaviours more conducive* to sleep.
“Some of this is simply to have a clear wind-down routine, have a shower, clean teeth, read a book. But the app also offers a form of cognitive behaviour therapy* to help them establish sleep routines, things like how to set up their bedroom, what to do during the day to improve their chances of sleep and how to reduce those negative repetitive thoughts that come in at night.”
There is practical advice too. “If you are in bed for more than 20 minutes, get up, do something else like read a book until you are sleepy, so that you associate the bed as a place of sleep rather than of frustration or agitation,” Dr Werner-Seidler said.
She said Sleep Ninja was the only such app designed specifically for adolescents, and the results so far had been very encouraging.
“During the trial, 90 per cent of users showed at least some improvement in insomnia symptoms and 60 per cent reported improvements in sleep quality,” she said.
“We also saw rates of depression drop from 77 per cent … at the start of the study to 44 per cent after using the app.”
GLOSSARY
- clinical psychologist: an expert who treats and assesses mental illness and problems to do with a person’s mind
- insomnia: a disorder where a person has trouble falling and/or staying asleep
- conducive: providing the right conditions for something to happen or exist
- cognitive behaviour therapy: a type of therapy based on the idea that how you think and act affects how you feel. It is used to challenge and break the habit of negative thinking to do with thinking and reasoning
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QUICK QUIZ
- What is the name of the app?
- What ages is it aimed at?
- Which organisation created the app?
- How many hours of sleep are adolescents recommended to get each night?
- What percentage of young people experience a significant sleep problem by early high school?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. The importance of sleep
Good quality sleep is important for a variety of health reasons. See if you can brainstorm some reasons why good quality sleep helps combat the following health conditions:
- Mental Health disorders –
- Insomnia –
- Depression and anxiety –
How does a good quality sleep help teenagers be more ready for school?
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical education, Personal and social, Critical and creative thinking
2. Extension
What is your pre-bed routine? What tips did you get from this article to help you get a better night’s sleep?
Write your own sleep routine for the week to plan for better sleeping habits.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical education, Personal and social, Critical and creative thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
I spy nouns
Nouns are places, names (of people and objects), and time (months or days of the week). How many nouns can you find in the article? Can you sort them into places, names and time?
Pick three nouns and add an adjective (describing word) to the nouns.