Approximately 70 percent of teenagers trying to adjust to fall school schedules are not getting enough sleep, according to research from the University of Colorado. Early school start times combined with delayed biological clocks during adolescence keep teens' nightly sleep duration below the recommended eight to 10 hours per night during the school year.
Sleep deprivation may contribute to the country's obesity crisis, recent research suggests. Studies in adults have shown that restricting sleep leads volunteers to consume an additional 200 to 300 calories daily, said Seth Creasy, Ph.D., an associate professor of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. "Diet and physical activity are still the two main drivers of weight gain from a behavioral standpoint, but sleep can help support both of those," Creasy said.
Stacey L. Simon, Ph.D., a sleep expert and professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, said research shows that individuals with short sleep duration are at increased risk for higher body weight across their lifespan. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in 2014 that middle and high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m., but compliance has lagged, Simon said. "A majority of schools start much earlier than that," she said.
Adolescents face particular challenges due to their circadian rhythms, which naturally delay sleep onset. In a recent sleep study, parents and teens noted high anxiety levels, busy schedules and heavy electronic device use as factors contributing to sleep loss. An estimated 70 percent of high school students and 30 percent of adults do not get their recommended amount of sleep, officials said.
Research has linked shorter sleep duration with increased hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, which may lead to overconsumption. When researchers extended sleep duration to about seven and a half hours per night for people who routinely slept less than six hours, those individuals naturally began eating about 270 fewer calories per day, Creasy said. Early evidence suggests adolescent females may face even greater challenges, as they report higher levels of insomnia while potentially needing more sleep than males, Simon said.
