Health experts say the less sleep teenagers get, the less able they are to cope with the challenges of adolescence. But the amount of sleep teenagers are getting each night is the lowest it’s been since 1991, a new study has found.
Sleep levels among American adolescents and teens in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades steadily declined over the years from 1991 to 2023, according to researchers from the University of Minnesota, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan. Their paper, published May 12, used data from Monitoring the Future, an ongoing survey of more than 400,000 U.S. students.
In the survey, students reported how often they got at least seven hours of sleep a night and how often they felt they were getting the right amount of sleep. Researchers found that as adolescents got older, their sleep duration and level of restfulness decreased. By 2023, only 22.3% of teens and older adults will report sleeping at least 7 hours a night.
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According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 should sleep eight to 10 hours a day. “We know that getting less than an hour of sleep each night for a week can negatively impact children’s mood, physical health, and ability to cope in school,” says Dr. Arezou Heshmati, a pediatric neurologist and sleep specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Columbia University. He was not involved in the research process.
According to the paper, non-Hispanic black teens, Hispanic/Latino teens, and those whose parents have less education sleep even less than their peers. “Increasing disparities by race and socioeconomic status suggest that sleep is becoming another area where inequalities become entrenched early in life,” Rachel Widome, lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, said in a research brief from the University.
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Heshmati says a number of potential factors can lead to lack of rest in teens, including a combination of biological changes such as puberty, early school start times, stress, and lifestyle habits such as screen time use.
According to Heshmati, sleep deprivation can cause problems for teens, including:
Declining school performance Increased behavioral and emotional difficulties Declining quality of life Increased rates of depression and obesity
According to the World Health Organization, if mental health problems such as depression in adolescence are not addressed, they can “extend into adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to live a fulfilling life as an adult.”
Tips to improve your teenager’s sleep habits
Improving sleep in teens can be difficult, Heshmati notes, because teens often resist advice from parents and older adults. Another issue is that many parents often fall asleep before their teens do and don’t realize how late their kids are staying up, says Michele Borba, a child psychologist and author of “Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.”
To increase the likelihood that kids go to bed at about the same time, Borba suggests creating a policy where everyone in the house, including parents, ends screen time 30 minutes before bedtime. She also suggests several other ways to improve your teen’s sleep patterns.
Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule as much as possible, including on weekends. Buy your child an alarm clock so they don’t rely on their cell phone to wake them up. According to Borba, when teens sleep with their phones nearby, they’re more likely to continue using their phones in bed and stay up later than expected. Research has found that blue light from your phone screen can make it harder to fall asleep if you put your phone down at night. Find ways to make your room more conducive to sleep, such as blackout curtains or a white noise machine. Eat dinner at the same time every night. From meditation and prayer to a walk in the park before sunset, let us help you find the best way to calm your brain before bed.
Once kids can come to their own conclusions about why sleep is important and understand how sleep deprivation can have a big impact on their energy levels, athletic performance, mood, and overall success, it’s much easier to help them develop healthy habits, Heshmati says.
“Rather than simply telling students to sleep more, we can encourage them to explore the science of sleep themselves through research projects, peer discussions, presentations, wellness initiatives and student-led sleep awareness clubs,” she suggests. “Teenagers often listen to and influence each other more effectively than adults.”
Always consult your child’s health care provider before making any major changes that may affect your child’s health.
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