BOCYF Projects

Sleep Needs, Patterns, and Difficulties of Adolescence

Publications: Sleep Need, Difficulties, and Patterns of Adolescence (2000)

Alterations in sleeping and waking patterns affect as many as 70 percent of all adolescents. These changes can be traced to physiological processes, changing academic demands, expanding social opportunities, and altered parent-child relationships. Although little research has been done to characterize the sleep patterns, needs, and disorders of youth, clear evidence suggests that sleep disturbances have profound consequences for the health and well-being of adolescents.

The consequences of sleep problems and disorders include educational difficulties, lowered cognitive performance, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Many youth with excessive daytime sleepiness are also vulnerable to catastrophic events, such as falling asleep while driving or injuring themselves at work. Some youth try to cope with sleep problems by using alcohol, stimulants, and other chemicals. For others, sleep problems may result in mental health problems such as depression. Sleep problems and disorders are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality and therefore are a very real public health concern.

The Forum on Adolescence convened a workshop on September 22, 1999 that brought together researchers, educators, health providers, policy makers, and key stakeholders to review and synthesize available data regarding the sleep patterns, sleep needs, and sleep disorders of adolescents. Questions addressed at the workshop included: What are typical sleep patterns of adolescents? What are the causative influences of sleep problems and disturbances? How much sleep do teenagers need? What are the consequences of insufficient sleep? Participants discussed the health and policy implications of research on this subject, gaps in the research and practice knowledge base, and the implications of these findings for research, policy, and practice. A workshop summary, entitled Sleep Need, Difficulties, and Patterns of Adolescence, was prepared and widely disseminated to policy makers, researchers, health care providers, educators, parents, and other key stakeholders. For a summary of this workshop report, please click here.

For more information, please contact Mary Graham, Associate Director for Dissemination and Communication, Forum on Adolescence, at 202-334-1414.