Sleeping late on weekends hurts teens' focus

Sleeping late on weekends may not be the answer to sleep lost during the week. High school students in a recent study had more trouble with tests after catching up on sleep over the weekend.

The tests measured a person’s ability to pay attention and were part of a study of about 2,600 urban high school students from South Korea. Students who slept in on the weekends made more mistakes on the tests than students who slept the same amount on weekdays and weekends.

The average amount of sleep per student in the Korean study was 5 hours and 42 minutes on weekdays. This was well below the nine or more hours of sleep that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends for teenagers.

However, catching up on sleep on weekends did not give these students an advantage. The teens who maintained the same sleep hours on weekends as the weekdays scored higher on the attention tests throughout the school term.

Researchers said the results could be helpful information for doctors. It may help them identify teenage patients who are not getting enough sleep and are having trouble concentrating. The study was published in the September 2011 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Sleeping in on weekends doesn’t seem to work for adults, either. An earlier study showed that adults sleeping six hours a night during the week had lower scores on coordination tests. The low scores remained even after adults slept-in a couple hours on the weekend.

Read more blog posts about teens and sleep. Learn more from the AASM about teens and sleep loss—and take a quiz to rate sleepiness—on the Your Sleep website.

Photo by Star Guitar

Early School Start Times Endanger Teen Drivers, Study Finds

Teens as a group are notoriously bad drivers, with the highest annual accident and traffic violation rate of any age group in the United States. Parents have good reason to fear for the worst every time their child gets behind the wheel: auto accidents are the leading cause of death for America’s teens.

A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is directing some of the blame on schools for creating dangerous driving conditions for teens. The study found that accident rates are 41 percent higher when high school classes begin before 7:30 a.m.

The study compared teen accident rates at two demographically similar neighboring communities in southeast Virginia: Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.

Accident data from 2008 provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles showed that there were 65.8 auto crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers in Virginia Beach compared to 46.6 for Chesapeake.

The only significant difference, according to the authors, was school start times. Classes started at 7:20 a.m. in Virginia Beach. Students in Chesapeake were able to sleep in an extra hour and twenty minutes because of the 8:40 a.m. start time.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that the average teen needs more than nine hours of sleep per night. Falling asleep early can be difficult for teens because of natural night-owl tendencies and distractions such as smart phones and video games. As a result, teens often fail to get enough sleep and may drive to school with severe sleep deprivation.

Pushing forward start times for high school students will help them get more sleep, and as a result, make the roads safer. School districts across the United States have taken notice and have moved the opening high school bell to 8 a.m. or later.

Learn more about the sleep habits of teenagers.

Image by Carlos Lei

Multiple Factors Hurt Teen Sleep

Only a small percentage of American teens regularly meet their sleep needs. The reason their losing valuable shuteye isn’t quite as simple as sometimes portrayed. A front page article in the Chicago Tribune earlier this week blamed sleep loss on technology such as video games and gadgets. While this is assessment isn’t untrue, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

Teens have a tendency to be night owls even though they need more sleep than adults. The AASM recommends a minimum of 9 hours of sleep nightly for teens and adolescents. Many schools require teens to wake up very early, sometimes even before their parents. It’s not uncommon to see high school athletes report to morning practice as early as 5 a.m.

Some teens may not be able to go to sleep early enough to get the recommended hours of sleep even if they wanted. Many teens’ circadian systems are incompatible with early morning schedules. An article in the latest issue of Chronobiology International shows evidence that teens are naturally wired to stay awake later especially in the spring and summer.

The study found sleep onset times were delayed when adolescents were exposed to natural light during the evening hours. As the days become longer teens are inclined to stay up later.

The authors compared self-reported bedtimes and sleep durations to the time of sunset. Teens slept went to sleep early and slept longer during shorter winter days. Researchers presume a lighting scheme to reduce teens’ exposure to evening sunlight may help them get to sleep early during longer days.

That alone may not be enough. Turning off the television and Xbox an hour before bedtime may help. Schools too need to make adjustments so more than 21 percent of teens get enough sleep. Pushing start times forward can make students happier, more productive and even keep them out of harm's way.

Alcohol Use Risk Rises for Adolescents with Sleep Problems

Teens that develop sleep problems around the onset of puberty are more likely to use alcohol. A new study connects previous findings on adolescent sleep problems and alcohol use to puberty.

Some early-maturing adolescents develop “night owl” tendencies during the sleep pattern transition associated with the onset of puberty. Those individuals are most at-risk to develop sleep problems.

Separate research shows adolescents who hit puberty earlier than their peers are more likely to drink.

Survey data shows a clear link between those two groups. The early-maturing teens that get to sleep later were more likely to use alcohol.

The findings are in line with previous research on adults; Sleep problems can predict the onset of alcohol abuse.

The conclusion was based on questionnaires from a previous study involving Dutch school children. The authors narrowed down the field to only responses from adolescents ages 11 to 14. The findings were consistent across both genders and all education levels included in the study.

The findings will be featured in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The abstract is available online prior to publication.

Photo Courtesy Paul Hocksener

Tired teenagers prone to depression

High school students who don’t get the recommended nine hours of sleep per night are three times as likely to have depression, according to a research abstract to be shown Wednesday at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio.

The study found sleep deprivation is widespread among teens in the U.S. 52 percent of seniors at a public high school in New Jersey reported excessive daytime sleepiness.

Students averaged only 6.1 hours of sleep on school nights and 8.2 hours on weekends. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports students need more than nine hours of sleep to stay alert during the day.

More than 250 high school seniors participated in a cross-sectional survey. Excessive daytime sleepiness was defined as a score of 10 or higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Mood was evaluated with a validated depression scale.

A study published earlier this year in the journal SLEEP further supports these findings. The article reported adolescents who went to bed at midnight or later were 24 more likely to have depression compared to teens with parental set bedtimes earlier than 10 p.m.

Some experts advocate pushing forward school start times to give teens more time to sleep. The author of the study suggests public high schools should regularly screen for sleep deprivation and depression.

Teen auto accident rates higher when school starts earlier

Statistics from a new study show teenage drivers are more likely to get in an accident when classes start earlier. Crash rates are 41 percent higher for students who attend schools that begin around the crack of dawn.

The teen driver study presented Wednesday at SLEEP 2010 further fuels a movement to push forward school start times.

The data came from data from two adjacent communities with similar demographics provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. In Virginia Beach, school starts at 7:20 a.m. Classes start at 8:40 a.m. in neighboring Chesapeake.

Accidents reports show 65.4 out of every 1,000 teen drivers in Virginia Beach were in at least one crash. Less than 5 percent of Chesapeake teens were in automobile accidents.

The crashes happened more frequently in the afternoon than morning in both communities. The afternoon accident rate was about 3.5 percent in Virginia Beach (2 p.m. dismissal) and 2 percent in Chesapeake (4 p.m. dismissal).

Although the study does not prove cause and effect, lead author Robert Vorona believes earlier start times are restricting the time available for teens to sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends teens get at least 9 hours of sleep per night. Chronic sleep restriction increases the risk of an auto accident, and can lead to mood disorders, academic difficulties and behavioral issues.

Image courtesy gillicious

Teen Smoking & Sleep Problems

A new study from Hong Kong examined the relationship between smoking and sleep problems in teens.

The study involved 29,397 Chinese students. They were between 12 and 18 years old. The students completed a health survey that included questions about sleep.

Results show that current smokers were three times more likely to report snoring than teens who never smoked. They also were three times more likely to have difficulty breathing during sleep.

Current smokers were 45 percent more likely to have trouble maintaining sleep during the night. Teens who smoked only once or a few times were 39 percent more likely to report having insomnia.

In the U.S. the rate of teen smoking has dropped since it peaked in the late 1990s. But it is still a significant problem. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the U.S.

The NIDA reports that 20 percent of 12th-graders surveyed in 2008 said they had used cigarettes in the previous month. Smoking also was reported by nearly seven percent of 8th-graders.

Last year a study reported that childhood sleep problems were more likely to predict early onset of substance use in boys than girls. Sleep problems between 3 and 8 years of age predicted the onset of cigarette use.

The AASM reports that smokers may be at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Teens can get help for an ongoing sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center.

Information about youth and tobacco is available from the CDC. Read more about sleep and teens.

Image by David Hegarty

Social Networks: Teen Drug Use & Sleep Loss

A new study examined the relationship between sleep loss and marijuana use among teens and their friends.

The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The researchers mapped the social networks of 8,349 teens. The students filled out questionnaires. They also named up to five male and five female friends in their social network.

Students had an average age of 16 years at the start of the study. They reported that they usually got an average of 7.8 hours of sleep per night.

Results show that a teen was 11 percent more likely to report sleeping seven hours or less if a friend usually slept for seven hours or less. This effect increased to 20 percent when the friendship was mutual.

Further analyses found that a teen was 19 percent more likely to use marijuana if a friend usually slept for seven hours or less. Twenty percent of this effect came from the spread of sleep behavior from one person to another.

This effect was additive. The rate of marijuana use increased with each additional friend who was a short sleeper.

"The evidence suggests that poor sleep leads to drug use in adolescents, and that both sleep and drug use spread through social networks,” the authors concluded.

They suggested that poor sleep may promote drug use by affecting how teens make decisions. Poor sleep in teens has been shown to reduce impulse control. They also wrote that poor sleep may affect teen alcohol use in similar ways.

The NIDA reports that marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. A recent survey found that 42 percent of 12th-graders had tried marijuana at least once. Eighteen percent of 12th graders and 14 percent of 10th graders had used it within the past month.

Last year a study found that childhood sleep problems were more likely to predict early onset of substance use in boys than girls. Sleep problems between 3 and 8 years of age predicted the onset of alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use among boys.

Get help for your teen’s sleep problems at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you. Get Facts Parents Need to Know and Facts for Teens about marijuana from the NIDA.

Read more about sleep and teens.

Image by Spencer Finnley

Teens & Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

Some people have a circadian clock that makes them “evening types.” These “owls” have a natural tendency to stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning.

Children tend to become night owls as teens because of a shift in the timing of their circadian clocks. This change causes them to feel sleepy later at night. As a result they also prefer to wake up later in the morning.

But as CNN reported last week, some teens may have an extreme change in the timing of their body clock. They may be unable to fall asleep until late at night or early in the morning. Then they may want to sleep until later morning or early afternoon. This problem is called delayed sleep phase disorder.



Insomnia symptoms can be severe when a person with DSP tries to go to sleep at a “normal” time. Excessive daytime sleepiness also can occur when he or she has to wake up early in the morning.

Teens with DSP can have a hard time in school. It can be difficult for them to conform to an early morning school schedule.

But there are effective treatments for DSP. It can be treated by taking melatonin in the afternoon or early evening. Another option is to use bright light therapy in the morning.

Both treatments can help “re-set” the body clock of a person with DSP. This can help normalize the timing of sleep.

“The way to treat delayed sleep phase is give light, in particular blue light like the light in the sky,” AASM member Dr. Jeffrey Durmer told CNN. “It activates a part of the eye that activates a part of the brain that keeps the circadian rhythm under control.”

DSP treatment should be supervised by a board-certified sleep specialist. It is important to determine the proper timing and dose of treatment that is required.

Get help from a board-certified sleep specialist at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Last month a study reported that teen sleep patterns may be disrupted by a lack of exposure to morning sunlight. The researchers proposed that the problem can be solved by designing better school buildings.

Read more about sleep and teens.

Sleepy Teens Need to See the Light

A new study reports that teen sleep patterns may be disrupted by a lack of exposure to morning sunlight.

The study took place at a middle school in Chapel Hill, N.C., that has good daylight design. South-facing skylights allow plenty of natural light to enter nearly all spaces of the building.

Eleven eighth-grade students wore orange goggles for a five-day school week. The goggles prevented short-wavelength, “blue” light from reaching their eyes.

This light plays an important role in helping to set the body’s circadian clock. This timing system helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.

In the evenings the researchers measured the children’s “dim light melatonin onset.” This is the time when the body produces more melatonin.

This hormone is a “darkness signal” for the body. Sleep tends to occur about two hours after melatonin onset.

Results show that melatonin onset was delayed about six minutes per day. This added up to a delay of about 30 minutes by the end of the week.

The authors report that this delay may contribute to later sleep times and shorter sleep durations in teens. Early school start times may contribute to the problem by reducing exposure to morning sunlight.

“These morning-light-deprived teenagers are going to bed later, getting less sleep and possibly under-performing on standardized tests,” lead researcher Mariana Figueiro said in a news release. “We are starting to call this the teenage night owl syndrome.”

Figueiro added that the problem can be solved by designing better school buildings. One sponsor of the study was the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The situation in schools can be changed rapidly by the conscious delivery of daylight, which is saturated with short-wavelength, or blue, light,” she said. “Delivering daylight in schools may be a simple, non-pharmacological treatment for students to help them increase sleep duration.”

Figueiro is the program director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. At LRC they have created a small device called a “Daysimeter.” It measures a person’s exposure to short-wavelength, blue light.

Read more about sleep and teens.

Teens & Drowsy Driving

A new study of teen drivers found that sleepiness at the wheel and poor sleep quality increased their risk of crashing a vehicle. The results were published today in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The Italian study involved 339 high school students. Each of them had a driver’s license. Their average age was 18.4 years. Fifty-eight percent of participants were male.

They were surveyed about lifestyle habits, sleep habits, sleep disorder symptoms and daytime sleepiness. Driving habits and sleepiness at the wheel also were evaluated. Questions assessed the frequency and timing of car use and accidents.

Results show that teen drivers who reported having bad sleep or being sleepy while driving were twice as likely to have had a crash. Eighty of the 339 students had already crashed at least once. Fifteen percent of them considered sleepiness to have been the main cause of the crash. Fifty-six percent of students who had at least one previous crash reported driving while sleepy.

Lead author Dr. Fabio Cirignotta said the most effective way to combat drowsy driving is to pull over to a safe place and take a nap.

“Opening the window, listening to the radio, or drinking a coffee, are known to be short-lasting and, essentially, useless,” Cirignotta told the AASM.

The study also found that students suffered from chronic sleep deprivation. They reported that they needed an average of 9.2 hours of nightly sleep. But only six percent of students slept nine hours or more on weeknights. Instead they reported sleeping for an average of only 7.3 hours on weeknights. Fifty-eight percent of students tried to catch up by sleeping nine hours or more on weekends.

Sleep problems also were commonly reported by the students. Forty-five percent woke up at least once during the night with trouble falling asleep again. Forty percent had trouble waking up in the morning and 19 percent reported bad sleep.

The dual problems of chronic sleep loss and poor sleep quality had a negative effect on the students’ alertness. Sixty-four percent complained of excessive daytime sleepiness.

The study also found that male students and smokers were three times more likely to crash a vehicle. The authors suggested that some students may use tobacco to counteract sleepiness.

Last year a study suggested that school start times may be linked to drowsy driving. Crash rates for teen drivers dropped by 16.5 percent in a Kansas county that changed the high school start time from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. In the rest of the state teen crash rates increased 7.8 percent during the same time period.

Read more about sleep and teens and drowsy driving.

Image by Rich Evenhouse

Sleep Deprivation & Teens

Recently WDTN TV, Channel 2, in Dayton, Ohio, reported on the problem of sleep deprivation in teens.



Earlier this month the Sleep Education Blog reported on the link between sleep, depression and suicide in teens.

Teens can get help for a sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center. On SleepEducation.com you can learn more about teens and sleep loss. Check out the signs your teen needs sleep.

Read more about sleep and teens.

Less Time to Sleep for Media-Savvy Children & Teens?

A new report shows that children and teens are spending more time using media for entertainment. This increase is driven in large part by access to mobile devices.

The report was released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. It involved a 2009 survey of 2,002 students. They were in the 3rd to 12th grades. Their ages ranged from 8 to 18 years.

The study covered TV, movies, computers, video games, music/audio and print Results were compared with a 2004 survey.

Results show that students reported using entertainment media for more than 53 hours per week. Their average daily recreational media usage was seven hours and 38 minutes. This was an hour and 17 minutes more per day than in 2004.



In the past five years the percentage of students who owned a cell phone increased from 39 percent to 66 percent. Ownership of an iPod or other MP3 player increased from 18 percent to 76 percent.

Only about three in ten students reported that they have rules about how much time they can spend using entertainment media. Media usage dropped by nearly three hours per day when parents set limits.

Seventy-one percent of students reported that they have a TV in their bedroom. Fifty percent said they have a console video game player in their room.

“When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad,” Drew Altman, PhD, said in a news release. He is the president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Last year the Sleep Education Blog reported that technology may be taking a toll on teens’ sleep. And studies have examined the relationship between TV viewing and sleep problems in children.

The AASM recommends that parents keep the TV and computer out of their teen’s bedroom. Parents also should set a “communication curfew” at night; set a time after which your teen can no longer talk on the phone or send text messages, instant messages or e-mails.

Learn more about teens and sleep loss on SleepEducation.com. Parents can get more tips for teen bed times.

Final Week to Enter AASM High School Contest

The deadline for the 2009 – 2010 AASM High School Topical Review in Sleep Science Contest is Friday, Jan. 15.

High school juniors and seniors are invited to submit an original review paper. They can choose a subject from a list of 12 topics related to sleep medicine and sleep research.

The contest offers a first-place prize of a $1,000 U.S. savings bond. The winning student and one parent or guardian also will receive a three-day/two-night trip to San Antonio.

In June the city will host the SLEEP 2010 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. At this meeting the contest winner will be recognized by the AASM.

Prizes also will be awarded for second place, third place and honorable mention. All award recipients will have their paper posted on the AASM Web site at www.sleepeducation.com.

Get complete details and a contest entry form online.

Teen Depression & Suicide: Sleep, Early Bedtimes Protect Adolescents

A new study shows that teens who go to bed early and get enough sleep may be less likely to suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts. The results were published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.

The study involved 15,659 adolescents in grades seven to 12. Data were collected from the teens and their parents.

Teens who reported that they usually sleep for five hours or less per night were 71 percent more likely to suffer from depression. They also were 48 percent more likely to think about committing suicide than teens who reported getting eight hours of nightly sleep. Both depression and suicidal thoughts were less likely in teens who reported that they “usually get enough sleep.”

Teens were more likely to have problems if their parents set a weeknight bedtime of midnight or later. They were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression than teens who had to go to bed at 10 p.m. or earlier. They also were 20 percent more likely to think about committing suicide.

Teens with a bedtime of 10 p.m. or earlier got the most sleep. They reported sleeping for an average of eight hours and 10 minutes per night. This was 40 minutes more than teens with a bedtime of midnight or later.

“Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression,” lead author James E. Gangwisch, PhD, told the AASM. “Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression.”

Seven percent of participants had symptoms of depression. Thirteen percent reported that they seriously thought about committing suicide during the past 12 months.

The NIMH notes that girls are twice as likely as boys to have had a major depressive episode by age 15. But males are much more likely than females to commit suicide. In 2006 suicide was the third-leading cause of death for young people between 15 and 24 years old.

Parents reported setting a wide range of bedtimes. Fifty-four percent of parents reported that their teen had to go to bed by 10 p.m. or earlier on weeknights. Twenty-one percent reported setting a bedtime of 11 p.m. Twenty-five percent reported setting a bedtime of midnight or later.

And most teens complied with the bedtime that their parents set. Seventy percent of teens reported going to bed on time. Overall, teens reported going to bed only about five minutes later on average than their bedtime.

The AASM reports that most teens need a little more than nine hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested during the day. But a shift in the timing of their body clock causes teens to feel sleepy later at night. This explains why it can be hard for them to fall asleep before 10 p.m.

In August the Sleep Education Blog reported that a teen’s sleep pattern may be a marker of his or her risk for developing depression. Parents can get tips for teen bed times on SleepEducation.com.

Sleep Apnea & Obesity in Children and Teens

A new study shows that teens were more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea if they were overweight or obese. But obesity did not increase the risk for OSA in younger children.

The results were published today in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The Australian study involved 234 Caucasian children. They were between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Their height and weight were used to calculate their body mass index. About 62 percent of the children were boys.

The children were suspected to have possible OSA because of parental concerns about their snoring. Their sleep was evaluated during an overnight sleep study.

Results show that the risk for OSA increased 3.5 times for each increase in BMI score in children 12 years of age and older. But increases in BMI score did not raise the risk for OSA in children under the age of 12.

OSA was detected in 34 percent of the children who were between 12 and 18 years of age. About 53 percent of the children in this age group were obese.

The authors suggest that developmental changes during adolescence may explain the results. These changes include reductions in the muscle tone of the upper airway.

They emphasized that the results are specific to Caucasian children. Obesity and OSA may interact at other ages in other ethnic groups.

The authors also noted that tonsil size may interact with obesity to increase the risk of developing OSA. But snoring teens who are obese should be evaluated for OSA regardless of their tonsil size.

The AASM reports that about two percent of healthy young children have OSA. It occurs when soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway during sleep.

Most children with OSA have a history of loud snoring. This may include obvious pauses in breathing and gasps for breath. Parents often notice that the child seems to be working hard to breathe during sleep.

In June the Sleep Education Blog reported that the causes of sleep apnea in children are complex. Sleep apnea often occurs when a child has large tonsils and adenoids. But weight and nasal problems also can play a role.

Learn more about obstructive sleep apnea in children. Get help at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Image by Robert Hruzek

High School Writing Contest: Deadline is Jan. 15

The Jan. 15 deadline is only one month away for the 2009 – 2010 AASM High School Topical Review in Sleep Science Contest.

High school juniors and seniors are invited to submit an original review paper. They can choose a subject from a list of 12 topics related to sleep medicine and sleep research.

“This contest is an excellent opportunity to introduce students to some of the fascinating aspects of sleep and sleep disorders,” said AASM President Dr. Clete Kushida.

The contest offers a first-place prize of a $1,000 U.S. savings bond. The winning student and one parent or guardian also will receive a three-day/two-night trip to San Antonio in June.

Deep in the heart of Texas, San Antonio offers visitors a dynamic experience. Popular attractions include the Alamo, Six Flags and SeaWorld.

San Antonio will host the SLEEP 2010 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC in June. At this meeting the contest winner will be recognized by the AASM.

Prizes also will be awarded for second place, third place and honorable mention. All award recipients will have their paper posted on the AASM Web site at www.sleepeducation.com.

Get complete details and a contest entry form online. The submission deadline is Friday, Jan. 15, 2010.

Sleep, Pre-Teens & Puberty

A new study suggests that sleep changes in pre-teens may occur before the physical changes of puberty. The results were published Dec. 1 in the journal Sleep.

The Israeli study involved 94 healthy children from five schools. They were between the ages of 10 and 11 years when the study began.

The children completed sleep diaries to track their sleep-wake patterns. They also wore an actigraph on their wrist for one week as an objective measure of sleep. Assessments were repeated one and two years later.

Results show that changes in sleep-wake patterns predicted an increase in pubertal development over time. But pubertal change did not predict sleep changes.

Over the course of the study the time when children went to sleep was delayed by 50 minutes. Sleep time was reduced by an average of 37 minutes.

The authors noted that these changes are a typical part of the transition to adolescence. Children begin to go to sleep and wake up later. They get less sleep and compensate by sleeping longer on the weekends. They also develop greater tolerance to extended periods of wakefulness.

The Israeli children in the study only have one “weekend” night during the school week. They are off on Saturdays but go to school on Sundays.

On Friday nights they went to sleep later and slept longer. But their sleep quality was worse than on school nights.

Lead author Avi Sadeh said that parents and educators can play an important role in helping children prioritize sleep as they grow and mature.

“It is very important for parents to be aware of the importance of sleep to their developing teenager,” Sadeh told the AASM. “School health education should also provide children with compelling information on how insufficient sleep compromises their well-being.”

The NICHD reports that puberty tends to occur between the ages of 10 and 14 in girls. In boys puberty typically occurs between the ages of 12 and 16.

Learn more about sleep and children, and sleep and teens.

How Moms Influence Teen Sleep

A new study looked for similarities in the sleep patterns of teens and their parents.

The Swiss study involved 293 teens with an average age of almost 18 years; 73 percent were female.

They completed a seven-day sleep log; they also completed questionnaires about their psychological functioning. The teens rated their parents’ sleep and parenting styles.

Results show a correlation between the sleep patterns of the teens and their parents. The study also found that how mothers sleep may have an indirect effect on the sleep of their teens.

Mothers’ poor sleep had a direct impact on their parenting style. This affected the psychological functioning of teens. Parenting style and teens’ mental functioning combined to influence how teens sleep.

The authors concluded that teen sleep problems may mirror an unfavorable parenting style and sleep complaints among mothers. Understanding this relationship could improve family counseling and treatment of teen sleep complaints.

In August the Sleep Education Blog reported that a teen’s sleep pattern may be a marker of his or her risk for developing depression. Another recent study found that technology use may be taking a toll on the sleep of teens.

Get parent tips for teen bed times on SleepEducation.com.

Image by Michael Porter

Delaying High School Start Times in England

One high school in England has delayed its start time by an hour to help students get more sleep, reports The Independent.

The school’s original start time was at 9 a.m. This would seem like a luxury to many U.S. teens who start school before 8 a.m.

Now classes begin at 10 a.m. The school day ends 30 minutes later in the afternoon.

“Here is something that schools can do to improve the health and mental health of their pupils,” headteacher Dr. Paul Kelley told The Independent.

The school doors remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This allows extra time for the supervision of students whose parents are at work.

Kelley was advised by Oxford sleep expert Russell Foster, PhD. Foster emphasized that teens have a biological need for more sleep than adults. And they are wired to perform better in the afternoon hours than in the early morning.

"It is time we stopped ignoring the sleep patterns of young adults," Foster told The Independent. “It is cruel to impose a cultural pattern on teenagers that makes them underachieve. Most school regimes force teenagers to function at a time of day that is sub-optimal.”

Earlier this year the Sleep Education Blog reported that teens in Kansas and Minnesota have benefited from starting school later. A proposal to delay high school start times in one Virginia county stirred a strong debate before being rejected.

Learn more about teens and sleep loss and your teen’s bed time on SleepEducation.com.