“Sleep is your life support system, and Mother Nature’s best effort yet at immortality”, says sleep scientist Matt Walker (2019) during his TED talk, after having studied sleep-related behaviors for over a decade.
Sleep and health are two areas of human life that are intricately connected to each other. Similar to how a vehicle needs fuel to run on the road, and an electronic device requires electricity — our body and mind need sleep to restore their energy reserves. Research has consistently shown that sleep deprivation is associated with several diseases and health risks (Liew & Aung, 2021).
Yet, young people today are experiencing an epidemic of sleep deprivation. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2021, about 77% of high school students reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. This epidemic of sleep disturbances is intertwined with the current youth mental health crisis, with over 40% students between 9th to 12th grade reporting depressive symptoms in 2023 (CDC, 2023).
This blog explores this problem deeper to discuss why it might be that our youth is getting so little sleep, how sleep disturbances impact youth mental health, and finally, what can be done about this ongoing crisis.
Why Are Our Youth Populations Not Sleeping Enough?
Many young people today are living in a state of a “sleep debt”, which refers to the difference between the amount of sleep one needs to get vs. the amount of sleep they actually get.
The recommended amount of sleep for an average adult is 7 to 9 hours, while for teenagers with developing brains, it’s 8 to 10 hours (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, n.d.). Yet, in the US, over 30% of adults (CDC, 2024) and about 77% adolescents are not getting enough sleep (CDC, 2024). Not only are these numbers alarming, but they are also increasing as the years pass by. Moreover, the huge difference between sleep deprivation rates amongst adults vs. adolescents is hard not to notice.
But what is it about young people’s lives today that might be causing such massive levels of sleep debt?
Factors Contributing to Sleep Disturbances in Young People
Youth today is often under a constant pressure to excel and thrive in a world that is getting increasingly competitive and connected 24/7. Additionally, the last few decades have seen the rise of social media which has actively contributed to increasing stressors for adolescents and young adults around the world.
Some key factors that may lead to sleep disturbances in youth today include:
- Academic pressure: The academic demands placed on young people today is higher than ever. Homework, exam preparation, and the pressure to excel academically may leave little room for the recommended hours of sleep.
- Part-time jobs and extracurricular activities: Adolescence and young adulthood is a time where people aren’t fully set in their careers, but are expected to support themselves as well as grown adults do. This, added with the pressure to not just stand out academically but also engage in extra curricular activities, may often leave little time to go to bed on time.
- Biological factors: The onset of puberty brings significant changes to sleep biology (Uccela et al., 2023). For adolescents, a shift in circadian rhythms may trigger — which delays the secretion of melatonin (the sleep hormone). While parents may assume it is out of irresponsibility that teens don’t sleep on time, this biological phase delay can naturally predispose adolescents to stay awake until late. This could result in sleep disturbances.
The Interplay Between Social Media and Sleep
Daniels & colleagues (2021) call social media, stress, and sleep deprivation a Triple “S” problem among adolescents today. In fact, studies have shown that it is the combination of excessive social media use with sleep disturbances that lead to poor mental health outcomes amongst young people (Alonzo et al., 2021).
Indeed, there are several ways in which social media could lead to sleep disturbances among youth:
- Young people with impressionable minds and limited self regulation skills may be vulnerable to spending an excessive amount of time online (Alonzo et al., 2021), because social media is designed to engage users with unstoppable notifications and algorithmically curated content.
- Constantly being exposed to screens can also mean constantly being exposed to blue light, which suppresses melatonin production and makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep (West et al., 2011).
- Being connected to social media 24/7 may contribute to stress. Stress puts one’s body in a state of emotional arousal that prevents one from falling asleep and staying asleep.
The Cost of Sleep Disturbances on Youth Mental Health
Experts today have recognized adolescence as the second most important period after early childhood (for e.g., see Furhman, 2015). Similar to our malleable brains during childhood, the adolescent brain serves as a block for foundational learning and neural plasticity. Any impact on our neurological processes at this stage of life has a potential to influence our later life.
Striking ways in which sleep deprivation impacts youth mental health can include:
Impaired Cognitive Function
Is an all nighter really the best way to ace an exam? Research suggests: absolutely not.
Not only is it important to sleep for the required duration, it is also important to get quality sleep. Research suggests that REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is critical to process emotional experiences, as well as retaining learned information.
There are several ways in which sleep deprivation impairs cognitive function:
- Memory: Research shows that when one is not getting a sufficient amount of sleep, there is little to no activity taking place in the Hippocampus, the structure in the brain associated with relaying information and helping form memories. This may hinder our ability to create new memories.
- Emotional Dysregulation: When one is sleep deprived, the amygdala, which governs emotional reactions, becomes hyperactive (Yoo et al., 2007). This may result in heightened emotions, irritability, and frustration.
- Poor Decision Making: Our pre-frontal cortex, the part of our brain that is responsible for performing executive functions, is implicated during sleep disturbances (Yoo et al., 2007). This means that when we’re sleep deprived, we may be unable to engage in important functions such as sound judgement, decision making, and concentrating on a task fully.
- Poor Stress Management: We may be more likely to feel overwhelmed by daily stressors when sleep deprived. Insufficient sleep impairs our decision making and emotional regulation, which may result in a diminished capacity to manage stress.
Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Chronic sleep deprivation can put young people at risk of developing mental health issues later on in life. In a study, Orchard & colleagues (2020) found that teens who at the age of 15 reported getting insufficient sleep were more likely to struggle with mental health issues later in life, even if they had no previously reported symptoms.
Moreover, research suggests that sleep deprivation diminishes positive emotions, heightens negative mood states, and impairs emotional regulation. This makes those not getting enough sleep vulnerable to struggling with mental health challenges.
Behavioral Problems
The plethora of impacts sleep can have on one’s cognitive functioning and moods lead those affected likely to also have behavioral problems.
Not being able to manage stress or making sound judgements ultimately increases impulsivity. This contributes to risky behaviors such as aggression and substance abuse.
What Can We Do to Solve this Crisis?
According to the guidelines by American Academy of Sleep Medicine, to truly reap the benefits of adequate sleep – we do not just need to sleep for long enough, we also need to sleep regularly and get good quality sleep.
Since the problem of sleep deprivation and its bidirectional relationship with youth mental health is so complex, it is important to address the crisis holistically.
Parents, educators, policymakers, and young people themselves need to be involved to enable better sleep practices.
Some measures that can be taken include:
- Education and Awareness: The impacts of sleep deprivation tend to be less noticeable directly, and more visible in the long term. Raising awareness regarding the crisis by highlighting the importance of sleep in improving academic performance, improving mood, productivity, and overall decision making needs to be communicated more effectively.
- For Parents: At home, concerned parents must make it a point to establish routines that ensure teens get enough sleep. This could involve creating a regular dinner time and making bedrooms a screen-free zone at least an hour or so before it’s time to go to bed.
- For Us All: In a fast-paced modern world where productivity is prioritized above all, in the long-term, a culture that values sleep must be fostered. The importance of getting enough rest and sleep is higher than ever in our increasingly stressful world, especially for young people.
Quick Tips to Improve Sleep Hygiene
- Regulate Caffeine Intake: Caffeine can hinder our ability to get REM sleep, the stage of sleep associated with its restorative benefits. It is important to cut down on caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening, to ensure quality sleep.
- Limit Screen Time Before Bed: Saying goodbye to screens at least an hour before bedtime can help you relax and go to sleep on time.
- Optimize Sleep Environment: Heat, light, and noise can impact sleep quality and one’s ability to fall asleep. Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet to promote better sleep quality.
- Practice Relaxation Exercises: Consider engaging in relaxation exercises such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation before going to sleep. This can help your mind prepare to fall asleep.
Conclusion
Amidst the chaos of modern life, right now is a great time to address the crisis of sleep deprivation and deteriorating youth mental health. Young people not getting sufficient rest may lead to impaired cognitive functioning and leave them vulnerable to develop mental health struggles later in life.
To improve this condition, stakeholders at all levels must be educated and involved. Sleep scientists can work with educators to ensure that enough education and awareness about the necessity of sufficient sleep is communicated to parents and adolescents.
Finally, to resolve this crisis, a reset in our culture is required — where we value rest and sleep as much as we value hard work and results.
