14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators from the University of California in Berkeley (UCB) have determined that teenagers who go to sleep late, and spend just a few hours per night in bed, are more likely to display poor academic and emotional performances than their peers who sleep normally.
Researchers collected data on 2,700 adolescents from a representative US cohort, 30 percent of whom reported going to sleep later than 11:30 pm on school nights. This subgroup was found to have lower overall GPA scores at the end of high school, as well as a higher incidence of emotional issues.
“Academic pressures, busy after-school schedules, and the desire to finally have free time at the end of the day to connect with friends on the phone or online make this problem even more challenging,” says UCB researcher Lauren Asarnow. The study appears in the November 10 online issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The researchers say that parents should not be too worried, since sleep patterns are very easy to change. With the proper support, teens can change their sleep hours so that their academic and emotional performances improve.