The Wake-Up Call: The Repercussions of Short Sleep Duration on Adolescents

Nearly eight in ten US teenagers do not sleep the recommended 8 to 10 hours per night. Short sleep duration is correlated with poor health and academic performance. We sought to determine if the average amount of sleep varied across high school grade levels and whether modifiable risk factors were linked with less sleep. Our study utilized nationally representative data from 20,103 high school-aged respondents surveyed in the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. We fit a weighted linear regression model; the outcome was the quantity of sleep on an average school night. Covariates included socio-demographic, psychosocial, and school-related variables. Compared to 9th graders, 10th graders slept 0.21 hours less (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11 to 0.31 hours), 11th graders slept 0.24 hours less (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.34 hours), and 12th graders slept 0.36 hours less (95% CI: 0.26 to 0.46 hours). Compared to those who reported never experiencing poor mental health over the past month, those reporting sometimes slept 0.36 hours less (95% CI: 0.24 to 0.48 hours), and those who reported always slept 0.83 hours less (95% CI: 0.64 to 1.0 hours). Our results directly inform policies, like limiting the number of Advanced Placement courses a student can take, reducing homework, and delaying school start times to increase the number of students who receive adequate sleep. If adolescents can gain the recommended sleep with policies that mitigate deprivation, their overall well-being could improve.