Generation Sleepless - by Heather Turgeon & Julie Wright (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An intimate glimpse inside a silent epidemic that is harming teens and how parents can help them reclaim the restorative power of sleep.

If you could protect your teen from unnecessary anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, and foster a greater sense of happiness and well-being in their life, wouldn't you? In Generation Sleepless, the authors of the classic guide to helping babies and young children develop healthy sleep habits The Happy Sleeper uncover one of the greatest threats to our teenagers' physical and mental health: sleep deprivation. Caught in a perfect storm of omnipresent screens, academic overload, night owl biology and early school start times, Generation Sleepless illustrates how our teens are operating in a constant state of sleep debt and "social jet lag" while struggling to meet the demands of adolescence.

In this essential book, Heather Turgeon, MFT and Julie Wright, MFT draw on the latest scientific research to reveal that, at a critical phase of development, many teens need more sleep than their younger siblings, but they're getting drastically less. Generation Sleepless helps readers:

- foster a teen's self-motivation for sleeping well
- alter family practices around phones, social media, and screen time
- draw on an understanding of teens' night owl tendencies to create smart sleep habits
- lay out steps for sleep-friendly schools and promoting systemic changes that help teens get the rest they need

This first-of-its-kind book is packed with clear and instantly usable advice for parents as well as an eye-opening call to action for teachers, principals, colleges, coaches, and policy makers.

Review Quotes

"Well-researched, skillfully written, and deeply helpful. Turgeon and Wright are cultural therapists who teach us how to help teens with the most urgent and important of lessons--how to sleep well. I recommend this book to all parents of tweens and teens."
--Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia

"Generation Sleepless is the crucial missing piece in the conversation about teen mental health. As a therapist and the mom of a teenager, I'm so grateful for every page of this book!
--Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone

"In Generation Sleepless, Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright provide an essential guide to supporting the key nutrient for the adolescent brain: sleep. I love this book because it provides a respectful, emotionally attuned, and practical roadmap to helping teenagers get the sleep their bodies and brains so desperately need. I highly encourage everyone who parents or works with teens to read and share this much needed resource!"
--Mona Delahooke, PhD, author of Beyond Behaviors and Brain-Body Parenting

"Grounded in a deep understanding of sleep, family dynamics, and social realities, this engaging book seamlessly and creatively integrates practical tips and tools families can use for immediate relief with ways they can work to make the systemic changes--including sleep-friendly school start times--that make healthy sleep possible."
--Terra Ziporyn Snider, PhD, Executive Director and cofounder of Start School Later, and coauthor of The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health

"Generation Sleepless exposes the myriad of factors that squeeze teen sleep, but more importantly, it gives us a practical framework with to-do's for society, as well as five easy-to-deploy habits for families that really make a difference."
--Dr. Michael Breus, author of The Power of When

"The American Academy of Pediatrics declared youth mental health a national emergency. Psychotherapists Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright say they know one reason why: teens today are sleep deprived."
--PEOPLE

"The secrets to getting teens the sleep they so desperately need."
--CNN

"Teenagers have a reputation for being moody, making rash decisions, and maybe even being a bit lazy. Turns out, lack of sleep may be partly to blame for some of this stereotypical behavior."
--NPR's Science Friday

"Turgeon and Wright, authors of the bestseller, The Happy Sleeper, reveal just how wrong we've all been about teens and sleep.... We rearrange our entire lives to accommodate the sleep needs of our little ones but have essentially left our teens to fend for themselves.... Their new book discusses how to build healthy habits, advocate for change, and navigate the storm together with your teen through collaboration and communication."
--Motherwell

"Today's adolescents are the most sleep-deprived population in human history, but parents and schools can help them get the rest they need."
--The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Heather Turgeon, MFT and Julie Wright, MFT are psychotherapists, sleep specialists, and authors of the popular parenting books, The Happy Sleeper and Now Say This. Through their online sleep classes and consultations as founders of The Happy Sleeper, they help families with babies, kids, and teens sleep well. Heather's writing has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. She lives in Los Angeles and has a (well-rested) tween and teen. Julie is the creator of one of LA's best known parenting programs, The Wright Mommy and Me. She lives in New York City and has a young adult son.