How our hidden ‘social jetlag’ is depriving teens of vital sleep

When it comes to the amount of sleep that we need, this tends to decrease as we get older. Even though it may seem that teenagers need a lot of sleep, 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds typically need around 8 to 10 hours per night, which isn’t too dissimilar to adults (7 to 9 hours per night).

The timing of our sleep changes as we age. During adolescence, sleep timing becomes later, making an early bed and wake time tricky. Interestingly, this shift in sleep timing occurs in adolescents around the world and is even found in other mammals.

Because society is geared towards early start times, young people often have to live out-of-sync with their natural patterns because they have to get up early to go to school during the week. If they are unable to fall asleep early, this can mean they miss out on sleep. When the weekend arrives, they have more control over their schedule, so fall asleep and wake up later. They may also attempt to ‘catch up’ on sleep lost during the school week.

This shift in sleep timing has been referred to as ‘social jetlag’, as a change in schedule can lead to jetlag-like symptoms. Social jetlag has been associated with factors including obesity and depression.

So where does this leave young people who are confused as to whether they should attempt to get ‘enough sleep’ or stick to a consistent routine? It is sometimes recommended that a weekend lie-in is fine, but ideally, wake time should be within two hours of that during the working week, to allow some recovery from sleep deprivation, while limiting social jetlag.

Read more:

• What’s the best thing to do when you can’t sleep?
• What happens when we let people sleep when they want to?
• Why do I always get an energy crash in the afternoon?
• Why do we find it harder to get to sleep when we’re excited?

Asked by: Fay Barrett, Chester

To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don't forget to include your name and location)