It’s 11 p.m. on a weekday and the teenagers still have their bedroom lights on. We want them to get enough sleep before school the next day, but it’s not easy.
our new research It shows what happens to a teenager’s brain and behavior after years of being a “night owl”.
They found that this change in sleep patterns increases the risk of behavioral problems and slows brain development in late adolescence.
But it’s not all bad news for night owls.
change sleep habits
people sleep pattern shift in my teens. Teenagers may stay awake longer, fall asleep later, and lie the next day.
Many teenagers also Morning skylark to stay up lateThey are more productive and alert late in the evening, prefer to go to bed late, and wake up late the next day.
This shift to “evening” can clash with school and work for teens. Chronic sleep deprivation due to these mismatched sleep schedules could explain why her teen stays up late. greater risk For emotional and behavioral problems than the Morning Lark person.
New research also shows that morning larks and night owls have different traits brain structureThis includes both gray and white matter differences that are related to differences in memory, emotional well-being, attention and empathy.
Despite these links, it is unclear how this relationship will emerge. Does staying up late put you at a higher risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems later? Do behavioral problems make someone more of a night owl?
Our study followed teenagers for years to try to answer these questions.
what we did
Over 200 teens and their parents completed a series of questionnaires about teen sleep preferences and emotional and behavioral health. The participant repeated these questionnaires several times over the next seven years.
The teenagers also underwent two brain scans several years apart to examine brain development. We focused on mapping structural changes in the white matter, the connective tissue of the brain that allows the brain to process information and function effectively.
Previous studies show the structure of the white matter of morning larks and night owls differentHowever, our study is the first to examine how changes in sleep preferences affect white matter growth over time.
this is what we found
Teenagers who transitioned to night owls during early adolescence (around age 12-13) were more likely to have behavior problems years later. This included greater aggression, rule breaking, and antisocial behavior.
However, it did not increase the risk of emotional problems such as anxiety or depression.
Importantly, this relationship did not occur in reverse. In other words, we found that early emotional and behavioral problems do not affect whether teenagers become morning owls or night owls in late adolescence.
Our study also showed that teenagers who transitioned to being night owls had different rates of brain development than those who remained morning owls.
It turns out that white matter in night owls does not increase as much as in morning teenagers.
Understanding White Matter Growth is important In teens to support cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development.
What is the impact?
These findings are Research so far It shows the difference in brain structure between morning larks and night owls.It also builds on previous research showing that these changes may appear in my teens.
Importantly, staying up late increases the risk of experiencing behavioral problems and delayed brain development in late adolescence, not the other way around.
These findings highlight the importance of focusing on teens’ sleep and wake habits early in adolescence to support their emotional and behavioral health later in life. to sleep pretty important For mental and brain health.
here is some good news
It’s not all bad news for night owls. As our research shows, the preferences of morning and night owls are not set in stone. Research shows that we can change our sleep preferences and habits.
For example, exposure to light (even artificial light) can alter circadian rhythms and affect sleep preferences. So minimizing exposure to bright lights and screens late at night is one way to do it. change Our preferences and desires for sleep.
exposure to light Waking up first thing in the morning also helps shift your body clock to a more morning-oriented rhythm. You can encourage her teen to have breakfast outside, go to the balcony or garden before going to school or work.
Rebecca CooperPhD Candidate in Neuropsychiatry, University of Melbourne; Maria Di BiasSenior Researcher, Psychiatry, University of MelbourneWhen Vanessa CropleySenior Researcher, University of Melbourne
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
