Regularity and Timing of Sleep Patterns and Behavioral Health Among Adolescents.
Jessica R Lunsford-Avery, Ke Will Wang, Scott H Kollins and 3 others
PMID 34698705WHAT IT FOUND
Less regular sleep tracked with more rule-breaking and aggression on teen and parent reports, and poorer school, activity, and social functioning.
Later sleep timing tracked with more self-reported anxiety, depression, or physical complaints. These are links, not proof of cause.
Key findings
01Less regular sleep tracked with more self-reported and parent-reported externalizing symptoms, including rule-breaking and aggression.
02Later sleep timing tracked with more self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
03More regular sleep tracked with better self-reported and parent-reported psychosocial functioning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a cross-sectional community study, so it cannot show whether irregular or late sleep causes behavioral problems, or whether behavioral problems disrupt sleep. The final analysis included 89 adolescents, fewer than the target of about 100. Adolescents needed at least 5 nights of wrist monitor data, which reduced the sample. Medical and psychiatric history came from family report and was not verified with clinical records. Sleep was estimated from wrist movement rather than a full sleep study, so sleep stages and exact sleep/wake boundaries were not directly measured. The seven-day recording may not capture typical sleep for all adolescents. The sample had few reported internalizing diagnoses, so findings may not apply strongly to adolescents with diagnosed anxiety or depression.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper is listed as receiving non-U.S. government and NIH extramural research support, but no sponsor role is stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these links as proof that changing sleep will improve behavior or functioning. This was a cross-sectional study, and it did not test a sleep intervention, so it cannot show cause or effect.