Balancing Act 2024: Sleep

Our mission is to improve people’s lives through better sleep. We are spreading the sleep health message through a strong media and internet presence, engagement with community leaders, interaction with other health bodies, and an ongoing program of development and distribution of educational information designed for the public by sleep experts.

Sleep research suggests that a teenager needs between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night. This is more than the amount a child or an adult needs. Yet most adolescents only get about 6.5 – 7.5 hours sleep per night, and some get less.

Sleep problems can keep some teens awake at night even when they want to sleep. Teens who don't get enough sleep don’t do as well in school or sports. They may feel moody, depressed, or have other emotional problems. And teens who drive without enough sleep are more likely to be in car accidents.

The teenage years are a formative period. The brain and body experience significant development, and the transition to adulthood brings important changes that affect emotions, personality, social and family life, and academics. Our medical review team has recently evaluated this page to ensure accuracy. We will continue to monitor and revise this article as new literature is published on teens and sleep.

Many studies have examined the effects of sufficient versus insufficient sleep on mental health. A new study, published in February in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, takes a more nuanced look, attempting to determine just how much each hour less per night really costs -- where teenagers are concerned.

Teenagers who are aroused from sleep early may still have elevated levels of melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep, and those who try to go to bed early may not be able to sleep, as melatonin levels indicate that their bodies are still fully awake

During adolescence, sleep changes physiologically and biologically. It is during this period of life that development and learning takes place. However, new teenager sleep behaviors appear. A decrease in weekly sleep time and a jet lag during weekends contribute to the deterioration of teenager’s sleep. The use of new social media plays a detrimental role, with a strong negative correlation between time spent on those and sleep time. Teenagers suffering from sleep deprivation develop well-identified consequences such as diurnal fatigue, lack of attention, more anxiety, poor self-esteem, and also an increased risk of obesity and depression. Teenage sleep is a real public health issue.