Irregular sleep patterns in teenagers tied to higher risk of school-related problems

USA: Stabilizing sleep schedules in adolescents may be an important tool to promote functioning at school, is the conclusion drawn from a recent study.

The study presented at SLEEP 2023 claimed that teens with greater variability in their sleep patterns may be at a greater risk for school-related problems. It showed that teens with greater night-to-night variability in the time they fell asleep were 42% more likely to have been suspended or expelled in the past two years, 29% more likely to have received a D or F in any course, and 26% more likely to have ever failed a course. 

Teens with greater variability in sleep duration also at 31% higher likelihood of suspension or expulsion. 

“Variability in sleep duration and later sleep timing were associated with worse academic performance and school-related behaviors in our sample,” said lead author Gina Marie Mathew, who has a doctorate in biobehavioral health and is a postdoctoral associate at Stony Brook Medicine in Stony Brook, New York. “The results highlight the importance of early, regular sleep timing and duration for optimal academic performance and school-related behavioral functioning in adolescence.”