From the archives: Teens may need to rethink their relaxed approached to bedtime come school holidays next week, as going back to late nights and early wake ups two weeks later may be a contributing factor to poor mental health. In this column from our 2021 archives, Nicky Pellegrino talks to sleep expert Alex Agostini from the University of South Australia on the truncation of sleep for teens, especially during the school term.
Anyone who has a teenager knows it can be a struggle to get them out of bed in the morning. Sleeping-in seems to be a superpower in adolescence. But the evidence is mounting that teens need all that slumber. Alex Agostini is a sleep expert at the University of South Australia. She has contributed to a new research paper that shows sleep is intrinsically linked with mental health in the teenage years. A good night’s rest is especially critical for teens because they are going through a whole range of physical, social and developmental changes. Without eight to 10 hours’ sleep each night, they’re less able to deal with stressors, such as bullying or social pressures, and they run the risk of developing behavioural problems, anxiety and depression.
“If sleep drops to less than six hours a night, research shows that teens are twice as likely to engage in risky behaviours such as dangerous driving, marijuana, alcohol or tobacco use, risky sexual behaviour and other aggressive or harmful activities,” explains Agostini. “We make really poor decisions when we’re not getting enough sleep. Teens have a different biological drive for sleep than adults and younger children. So, they’re not ready to fall asleep until later at night, then are reluctant to get out of bed until later in the morning. They probably get better-quality sleep if they do go to bed later,” says Agostini. “The problem with that is they have to wake up at a reasonable time in the morning to get to school. So, we see this truncation of sleep based on these two things, which is obviously not great.”
By far the biggest issue with teens and sleep, however, is technology. Teens spend a lot of time on electronic devices messaging friends, scrolling and playing games, or watching videos. And late at night, the blue light shining from their screens inhibits production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. When researchers from the University of Otago limited social-media use in a group of tertiary students, allowing them only 10 minutes a day, they found that being disconnected improved the quality of their sleep, and as a result, their sense of wellbeing.
Agostini says that compared with other countries, New Zealand teens seem to be doing pretty well with their sleep. But much of the research in this area has happened in the US, and most of it suggests children and teens should be getting more sleep than they are. “The point of this paper was to get people who work in mental-health fields, specifically psychiatrists, to consider sleep in mental health,” she says. “We know there’s a really strong bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental health, but it’s frequently overlooked when we talk about issues in treatment.”
Given the worrying increase in depression and anxiety among young people rates of mental -health conditions have doubled in New Zealand in the past decade - how do you make sure your child gets the rest they need? A later school start-time may help. There is evidence that teens get better sleep and are more alert and in a better mood the next day when they don’t have to wake up so early. If that is not an option, then the best approach is to make sure they understand how important sleep is for them, Agostini says. “Rather than trying to fight with your child, get them involved with the process and explain why sleep is so necessary, so they see value in it and feel like they have some control. Then start considering a bedtime routine. What’s the best way to help your teenager relax before bed?” Agostini says. “If they do the same thing every night and go to bed at the same time, then a teenager’s body will start to learn it’s time to go to sleep.
“Waking up at the same time every morning is important as well. It’s okay to have a little bit of a sleep-in on weekends, but not too much or it will disrupt those rhythms.”
As well as allowing at least eight hours for sleeping and keeping the same routine, electronic devices should be switched to aeroplane mode at least half an hour before bedtime. And teens should avoid caffeine and energy drinks in the afternoon and evening. “All of those things are useful,” says Agostini. “Just be aware they’re not a quick fix. It’s something you’re going to have to do for a couple of weeks - like an exercise regime, you don’t work out once and see abs.”
This story is from the NZ Listener’s archives and first appeared in the March 20 - 26, 2021 edition.
