Teens and “Junk sleep”

A lot of teenagers will be receiving electronic gifts this holiday season: cell phones, iPods, computers, etc. But if they use them in the evening in their bedrooms, they may fall victim to "junk sleep" - sleep whose quality and quantity are not adequate to sustain good health. The term "junk sleep" (coined earlier this year) is a powerful educational tool we techs can use when educating teens and parents about adolescent sleep issues.

Research released earlier this year by Britan's Sleep Council, and similar research released in 2006 by the National Sleep Foundation, suggests that almost all teens have electronic gadgetry in their bedrooms. Those who have four or more devices are twice as likely to fall asleep in class or while doing homework.

These buzzing, blipping, illuminated items disrupt sleep in many ways. Their "fun factor" lures teens to sacrifice sleep, and their lights and sounds cause nocturnal arousals. (How many of us have been running a sleep test and suddenly heard a cell phone, tucked away in the patient's belongings, blare in the middle of the night?)

For students, avoiding sleep deprivation is essential, because it clearly interferes with learning and memory. Robert Stickgold's group at Harvard has shown that sleep deprivation shifts so many precious mental resources toward maintaining altertness, that there simply isn't enough brain power left over to store new information.

What can we do about "junk sleep"? The electronics industry is starting to ponder technological solutions. In the meantime, parents and sleep educators can urge teens to ban electronics from the bedroom, to encourage healthier sleep patterns and promote academic success and automobile safety. (The National Sleep Foundation has some great anti-drowsy-driving Public Service Announcements geared toward teens and young adults: click here and here to download them.)