Katharina Buczek
This categorization revealed that one in four– or 25%– of pre-adolescents actually experienced extremely low sleep disturbance levels. However, the majority of pre-adolescents– or 42%– experienced moderate levels of a wide range of sleep problems.
About one in seven– or 16%– of pre-adolescents had difficulties falling and staying asleep through the evening. Additionally, 17% experienced high levels of sleep problems in general.
The analysis also showed that each group differed regarding levels of experienced behavioral and emotional difficulties– including problems such as anxiety, withdrawal, rule-breaking, and aggression. In fact, the pre-adolescents who experienced more of these difficulties also reported suffering from sleep problems that were more severe.
Interestingly, though, once the adolescents were assessed for a second time two years later, there was an overall shift in the prevalence of sleep problems.
At that point, one-third of the young teens reported difficulty falling and staying asleep. On the flip side, one-third also reported experiencing low levels of sleep problems.
However, just one in five young teenagers experienced moderate levels of a range of problems– representing a decrease from the previously-reported 42%.
Still, for most young teens, sleep patterns actually did not change throughout this transition period– despite a minority of the participants showing either deterioration or improvements in their sleep.
It is crucial to note, though, that when adolescents saw an increase in sleep problems, they also experienced increased behavioral and emotional problems.
This effect was most notable in emotional problems– sometimes resulting in depressed moods or increased anxiety– and has led the research team to underscore the importance of adolescents getting adequate sleep.
“Our findings indicate that treating sleep problems could be an effective way to improve mental health symptoms in young teens, and highlights the importance of good sleep for their mental well-being and may have long-lasting benefits throughout adolescence and beyond,” said Rebecca Cooper, the study’s lead author.
In addition to helping mental health, other studies have also shown that good sleep can support everything from physical health and cognition to school performance and a decrease in risky behavior.
