More sleep boosts teens鈥� ability to cope with pandemic
While poor sleep was linked to higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, more teens actually obtained the recommended amount of sleep compared to pre-pandemic sleep patterns, according to a new study from 海角社区. Changes to daily routines triggered by lockdowns allowed teenagers to follow their biological impulse to wake up and sleep later, reducing daytime sleepiness.
The study, published in , explores pre鈥憄andemic sleep behavior and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the researchers, encouraging better sleeping habits could help reduce teens鈥� stress and improve their ability to cope in times of crisis.
鈥淭he pandemic has shown that delaying school start times could help and should be implemented by schools interested in supporting the mental health of their students,鈥� says lead author , a Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at 海角社区.
Reducing stress by promoting more sleep
During the pandemic, the wake-up and sleep time of teens shifted by about two hours later. Many teens also slept longer and had less of a need to catch up on lost sleep during the weekend.
The elimination of the morning commute, a delayed school start time, and cancellation of extracurricular activities allowed teens to follow their 鈥榙elayed biological rhythm鈥� 鈥� or natural tendency to wake up and go to bed later, the researchers explain.
These changes meant that teens had more 鈥榰seable hours鈥� during the weekdays to complete their homework and didn鈥檛 have to sacrifice sleep to fulfill their obligations during the week. Similar findings have been reported in multiple countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Less sleep linked to higher levels of stress
The researchers found a connection between the amount of sleep teenagers were getting before the pandemic and their level of perceived stress during the pandemic.
鈥淪horter sleep duration and higher level of arousal at bedtime were linked to higher levels of stress, whereas longer sleep and lower level of arousal at bedtime was linked to reduced stress,鈥� says Gruber, who is also the Director of the Attention, Behaviour and Sleep Laboratory at the Douglas Research Centre.
鈥淭he tendency of teens not getting enough sleep was already a global concern prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever it鈥檚 critical we tackle the problem,鈥� says co-author Sujata Saha, a Principal at Heritage Regional High School of the Riverside School Board. 鈥淎cross the world the pandemic has increased levels of uncertainty and psychological stress. It鈥檚 projected that today鈥檚 elevated mental health challenges will continue well beyond the pandemic itself.鈥�
鈥淣ot sleeping enough and being overly stimulated before bedtime are poor habits that are modifiable. We can target these behaviours with preventative measures to reduce teens' stress in the face of overwhelming situations like to COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� says Gruber.
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About this study 鈥淧re-pandemic sleep behavior and adolescents鈥� stress during Covid-19: a prospective longitudinal study鈥� by Reut Gruber, Gabrielle Gauthier鈥慓agne, Denise Voutou, Gail Somerville, Sujata Saha, and Johanne Boursier was published in . DOI: |
About 海角社区
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, 海角社区 is Canada鈥檚 top ranked medical doctoral university. 海角社区 is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It鈥痠s a world-renowned鈥痠nstitution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. 海角社区 attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of 海角社区 students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
