244: What If Anxiety Won't Let My Teen Sleep?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan

Kids & Family, Mental Health, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 720 Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If your tween or teen lies awake with worries spinning in their mind, or if you’ve wondered whether it’s anxiety, hormones, or something more, this episode is for you. Dr. Lisa Damour and journalist Reena Ninan break down why anxiety and sleep are so deeply connected, and how parents can help kids find calm at night without turning bedtime into a battleground. In this compassionate conversation, Dr. Lisa explains what’s normal about changing sleep patterns during puberty, when to worry about anxiety, and how to help your teen create healthy routines that set them up for better rest and less stress. 💡 YOU’LL LEARN: - Why teens naturally want to stay up later (and why that’s normal)- How anxiety and sleeplessness feed each other- Practical strategies to help teens wind down before bed- How to talk with your child about what’s really worrying them- Ways to normalize anxiety so kids don’t feel “broken” when they struggle Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan. Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/ Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com Episode keywords: teen sleep, anxiety, bedtime, parenting, mental health, sleep hygiene Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence

Transcript

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0:00.0	Raising Twins and Teens comes with a lot of questions, and Lisa and I are here to help you find answers.
0:08.4	That's right. And if you like the Ask Lisa podcast, you'll love my free weekly newsletter that delivers seasoned parenting guidance right to your inbox.
0:17.5	Every newsletter pivots off of a recent podcast episode to highlight key points
0:22.1	in raising tweens and teens. This incredibly popular newsletter is a quick, easy read,
0:28.1	full of practical parenting guidance. So go to my website, Dr.Lisademore.com, to sign up today.
0:34.6	Lisa's weekly newsletter is one more way that we're here to help you untangle family life.
0:43.3	Tell me a parenting issue everyone struggles with with tweens and teens, but no one talks about.
0:48.9	Rina, I think a lot of people feel like they just don't know how to connect to their kid anymore.
0:54.7	I'm Rina Nainen, and welcome to Ask Lisa, the psychology of raising tweens and teens.
0:59.7	And I'm Dr. Lisa DeMore. We bring you science-back strategies for managing anxiety,
1:04.6	discipline, intense emotions, and more. We decode tough parenting issues with tips you can use right now. So subscribe to
1:12.0	Ask Lisa the psychology of raising tweens and teens and join our YouTube community today. Just
1:17.8	Google Ask Lisa Podcast. We're here to help you untangle family life.
1:24.9	Episode 244. What if anxiety won't let my teen sleep?
1:34.1	I love that we're doing an episode on sleep because, you know, I said this earlier, you
1:40.3	transform my sleep because I now put my phone in a different part of the house in our bathroom. Out of you, Rina? Thank you. That was a big one. You're welcome. I'm so glad you did it. Yep. But you know, at this stage of life for some women like myself, sleep is very tough. Like staying asleep, falling asleep. And yeah, there's a lot going on with sleep. I'm with you. I mean, Rina, I used to be such a good sleeper. And for me, it's like so fragile now. And I say to my husband, I'm like, every night's an adventure. Every night's an adventure. I don't know when I'm going to fall asleep, how long I'm going to stay asleep. I mean, it's, we'll come to that conversation, but it is a big deal.
2:17.8	It is a big deal.
2:18.7	I know.
2:19.0	I'm in the process of doing a sleep study because I think I might have sleep apnea.
2:22.4	So we're trying to figure it all out.
2:24.2	But yeah, a whole other topic for another day.
2:26.4	But I love this letter that we got because it deals with sleep and anxiety.
	...

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