The time of sleeping in teens associated with poor self-regulation, says study

Sleepier adolescents reported significantly worse self-regulation, as did teens who tended to be 'night owls' rather than ‘morning larks’.

Agencies | Published: November 6, 2016 5:54 pm

Poor self-regulation among teens is strongly associated with when one sleeps in relation to their body’s natural circadian rhythm, finds a study. According to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, daytime sleepiness and being a night owl appear to be more strongly associated with poor self-regulation. ‘The results of this study suggest it is not how long you sleep that has the biggest impact on self-regulation, but when you sleep in relation to the body’s natural circadian rhythms and how impaired you are by sleepiness,’ said Judith Owens, Director of the Sleep Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, US. (Read: 5 apps that will definitely help you sleep better)

The researchers analysed 2,017 surveys completed by 7th to 12th graders from 19 middle and high schools, where students completed questionnaires about sleep and self-regulation, including cognitive aspects, behavioural aspect and emotional aspects. Nearly 22 per cent of the students reported sleeping less than seven hours on school nights. Sleep duration, daytime sleepiness and chronotype were clearly interconnected — night owls slept less on school nights and were subsequently sleepier in the daytime, as were those who slept for fewer hours.

But when the researchers examined all three aspects of sleep and adjusted for age, socio-demographic factors and mental health conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety, it was daytime sleepiness and ‘night owl’ tendencies that independently predicted impaired self-regulation — while sleep duration did not. Sleepier adolescents reported significantly worse self-regulation, as did teens who tended to be ‘night owls’ rather than ‘morning larks’. The findings held for all types of self-regulation but were most robust for cognitive and emotional aspects. ‘The misalignment or mismatch between early school start times and teens’ circadian rhythms — which normally shift later with puberty — may worsen self-regulation or so-called executive functioning,’ Owens added.

http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/the-time-of-sleeping-in-teens-associated-with-poor-self-regulation-says-study-ag1116/

Having a night owl or “eveningness” circadian rhythm was also, independently, tied to poor self regulation.
The study doesn’t prove that daytime sleepiness or a natural tendency to hit the sack at a certain time can directly cause poor self-regulation, the authors note. It’s also impossible to rule out the possibility that poor self-regulation actually makes it harder for teens to sleep, the researchers also point out.
Even so, the findings suggest it’s important for schools to offer delayed start times that try to accommodate teens’ natural inclination to stay up late and sleep in, said Dr Sujay Kansagra, author of My Child Won’t Sleep and a paediatric neurology researcher at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
“Unfortunately, their brains have a natural tendency to shift bedtime to later at night,” Kansagra, who wrote a commentary accompanying the study, said. “Couple this with early school start time and you run the risk of chronic sleep deprivation that leads to poor school performance and an increase in unsafe behaviours.”
Absent later school start times, parents can still take steps to help teens develop better sleep habits, Kansagra said.
“Limit bright lights from TV, smartphones, and tablets for one hour prior to the desired bedtime,” Kansagra said. “Artificial lights suppress melatonin and make it harder to fall asleep.” – Reuters/Lisa Rapaport

https://tecake.in/news/health/facing-sleeping-troubles-reduced-use-facebook-whatsapp-holding-key-32264.html

As per a research was done previously by a Gurgaon-based private hospital, it was observed that about 90 percent of the cardiac arrest cases in the younger segment of the patients also complained of reduced sleep or errant sleep cycles. The link between sleep cycle and cardiac health has been found profoundly via this study.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhiites-sleeping-less-and-sleeping-badly-doctors/article17488164.ece

Sleep disorders

Doctors noted that more and more people in the city, even the world, are battling sleep disorders. In fact, recent studies have shown that the ill-effects of this condition are far more complex and dangerous.
According to Delhi Diabetes Research Centre chairperson Ashok Jhingan: “Sleep apnoea is like a triad. A disturbed sleep pattern leads to disturbed eating pattern which then leads to health problems. All three cause hypertension, high blood sugar and heart problems. It’s a vicious circle.”