A study in the Dec.1 issue of the journal Sleep suggests that changes in children's sleep patterns that typically occur between the ages of 11 and 12 years are evident before the physical changes associated with the onset of puberty.
Results show that over the two-year course of the study, sleep onset was significantly delayed by an average of 50 minutes, and sleep time was significantly reduced by an average of 37 minutes. Girls had higher sleep efficiency and reported fewer night wakings than boys. Initial levels of sleep predicted an increase in pubertal development over time, whereas there was no similar prediction in the opposite direction. According to the authors, this suggests that the neurobehavioral changes associated with puberty may be seen earlier in measures of sleep organization than in bodily changes.
Lead author Avi Sadeh, D.Sc, professor of psychology at Tel Aviv University in Israel, said that biological factors have a significant influence on sleep during puberty; however, psychosocial issues such as school demands, social activities and technological distractions can lead to the development of bad sleep habits. Therefore, parents and educators can play an important role in helping children understand how to prioritize sleep as they grow and mature.
"It is very important for parents to be aware of the importance of sleep to their developing teenager and to maintain their supervision throughout the adolescent years," said Sadeh. "School health education should also provide children with compelling information on how insufficient sleep compromises their well-being, psychological functioning and school achievements."
According to the authors, sleep-wake organization undergoes significant reorganization during the transition to adolescence. The main changes include a delayed sleep phase, which involves a tendency for later bedtimes and rise times; shorter sleep, which is associated with increased levels of daytime sleepiness; and irregular sleep patterns, which involve sleeping very little on weekdays and sleeping longer during weekends to partially compensate for this sleep loss. During maturation adolescents also develop greater tolerance to sleep deprivation or extended wakefulness.