Teen insomnia symptoms linked to hospitalizations in young adulthood

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that poorer sleep health according to wrist actigraphy and insomnia symptoms during adolescence predicted a higher likelihood of an overnight hospital stay during young adulthood around seven years later, even after accounting for adolescent hospitalizations and sleep health.

Results show that the odds of an overnight hospital stay in the past 12 months at age 22 were higher for those who had specific sleep difficulties at age 15: nearly 2.5 times higher for those with more social jet lag (a misalignment of sleep timing across the week), about twice as high for those with greater night-to-night variability in sleep onset (both according to wrist actigraphy), and 66% higher for those with self-reported difficulty falling asleep two nights per week or more. Later actigraphic sleep offset at age 15 also predicted 17% lower odds of better general health at age 22. Cross-sectionally, young adults with lower sleep maintenance efficiency, greater variability in sleep timing and total sleep time according to actigraphy, and self-reported difficulty falling asleep had lower odds of better general health at age 22. Difficulty falling asleep was also cross-sectionally associated with lower odds of positive life satisfaction during young adulthood.

"Improving youth sleep regularity and insomnia symptoms among youth may protect young adult health, well-being, and overall quality of life," said lead author Gina Marie Mathew, who has a doctorate in biobehavioral health and is a senior post-doctoral associate in the program in Public Health, Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. "Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep health early, as the potential effects on other aspects of health and well-being can persist into young adulthood."

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep is essential to health, and healthy sleep requires adequate duration, good quality, appropriate timing and regularity, and the absence of sleep disturbances or disorders. The AASM recommends that teenagers 13-18 years of age should sleep 8-10 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

The study drew data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a diverse, national, longitudinal birth cohort. Youth wore wrist actigraphy and self-reported insomnia symptoms, overnight hospital stays in the prior year, general health, and life satisfaction at ages 15 and 22. The actigraphy subsample comprised 295 participants, and the larger sample reporting insomnia symptoms was composed of 2,011 participants. 53% of participants were female. Results were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline (adolescent) health and well-being.

Mathew noted that the findings underscore both the long- and short-term reach of youth sleep health on young adult health and well-being.