Changes in Sleep Duration and Timing During the Middle-to-High School Transition

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Sleep Medicine
• Chronobiology
• Sociodemographic Health Disparities

Background:

• Sleep duration and timing are critical for adolescent health and development.
• The transition from middle school to high school represents a significant life change that may impact sleep patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify changes in adolescent sleep during the middle-to-high school transition.
• To determine if sleep changes differ based on sociodemographic characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Actigraphy was used to monitor sleep duration, onset, offset, and sufficiency (≥8 hours) in 110 adolescents over 2,470 nights.
• Data were collected in eighth and ninth grades, analyzing school and nonschool nights.
• Sleep patterns were examined in relation to grade, sex, and race.

Main Results:

• Sleep duration decreased by 25.8 minutes on school nights from eighth to ninth grade (p < .001).
• Sleep onset was delayed by over 20 minutes on both school and nonschool nights in ninth grade.
• The odds of achieving ≥8 hours of sleep decreased by 42% in ninth grade, with males and Black adolescents showing significantly lower sleep duration.

Conclusions:

• Insufficient sleep is highly prevalent among adolescents, especially on school nights.
• The transition to high school exacerbates sleep problems.
• Male and Black adolescents experience greater sleep insufficiency, highlighting sociodemographic disparities.