Quality sleep essential for behavioral and emotional development in adolescents: Study

Fiona Baker, director of SRI’s Human Sleep Research Program, has been studying the complex relationship between sleep and overall health and well-being. Much of her work has focused on sleep patterns in adult females, but recently her attention has turned to adolescents. Adolescence is as important a time for developing healthy sleep patterns as it is for brain development. In his research, Baker drew clear lines of connection between the two. “Sleep is so important for all of us, but especially so for teens or pre-teens,” Baker said.

“Between the ages of 10 and 21, or even shortly thereafter, the brain develops and matures in fundamental ways. By studying sleep, we are trying to understand not only sleep as a behavior, but the brain as a whole.” We are also realizing its importance for lifelong happiness,” he added.

During this period, Baker said the brain becomes more efficient, getting rid of — or “pruning” in neurological terms — the brain connections that are more relevant in childhood while strengthening the more important ones that the young person relies on. Will trust the rest of their lives.

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If a teen’s sleep patterns are less than ideal, it can affect brain development and overall health. In addition to studying the underlying mechanisms linking sleep, the developing brain, and health in adolescents, Baker’s lab is also working on developing behavioral guidelines to help adolescents find a healthy balance.

“Adequate, quality sleep is really important for healthy behavioral, emotional, and cognitive development in adolescents, and lack of sleep is associated with weight gain, poor cognitive development, and social-emotional difficulties,” Baker said. This period is better in terms of the association of sleep with these concerns.”

From too much screen time to anxiety and alcohol abuse, there are many familiar teen concerns that can disrupt sleep and, consequently, impair brain development. In a recent study, they looked at bedtime screen use (phone, computer, television) in more than 10,000 children ages 10 to fourteen to uncover several interesting findings.

More than a quarter (28%) experienced sleep disruption, but those with a TV or Internet-connected electronic device in their bedroom had more trouble falling and staying asleep and had more overall disrupted sleep. Worse still, those who left their ringers on overnight fared much worse than those who turned them off. Adolescents’ common bedtime routines, such as streaming movies, playing video games, listening to music, talking/messaging on the phone, and using social media or chat rooms, were all associated with greater sleep challenges.

Another study observed that changes in sleep patterns, such as late bedtimes and increased screen time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had a lasting impact on sleep in adolescents. Screen time has skyrocketed during the pandemic, as teens attend school online, spend free time playing video games and turn to social media to stay connected with friends. In the study, social media use and video gaming were specifically associated with shorter time in bed, late bedtime, and late bedtime.

“Adolescent sleep patterns during the pandemic were dramatically different than before COVID-19,” Baker said. Develop practical media use plans for your children such as turning off all devices before bedtime and allowing a winding-down period of at least 30 minutes without screens before bedtime.”

The third recent paper by Baker and colleagues was an observational study that tracked the brain scans of a group of 94 adolescents over four years, looking at how alcohol consumption affected the continuity of sleep, sleep architecture – the different components of sleep. Part – and how the electrical conductivity of the brain has changed. Pattern measured by EEG.

“We are seeing that if teens start drinking heavily, their sleep becomes more disrupted,” Baker said. He added, “It’s too early to say, though, whether stopping drinking will bring things back to normal or continue to change.”

All of Becker’s recent studies point to a greater awareness of harmful behaviors among teens that can affect sleep, health, and well-being, as well as a need for more parental supervision over activities that teens engage in. Known to have harmful effects on sleep. They also point to the positive effects that adequate quality sleep can have on healthy development.

“A better understanding of adolescent sleep and its relationship with overall health is helping us develop strategies to address these troubling patterns,” Baker said. is resilient, and we are hopeful that with behavioral adaptations we can help these children recover and get back on the path to a lifetime of good sleep and good health.”