Adolescent Sleep Patterns and Circadian Influences

Adolescence is characterised by a pronounced shift in the timing, duration and quality of sleep, driven by both biological maturation and environmental pressures. During this period, the circadian system advances towards a delayed phase, resulting in later bedtimes and wake times than in childhood. This intrinsic tendency is compounded by academic demands, extracurricular activities and screen exposure, which often conflict with early school start times. The misalignment between internal clocks and social schedules—known as social jet lag—has been linked to a host of adverse outcomes, including impaired cognitive performance, mood disturbances, metabolic dysregulation and increased risk of mental ill-health. Moreover, pubertal hormonal changes interact with circadian regulation to accentuate later sleep patterns. Globally, these findings have prompted a re-evaluation of school policies, interventions targeting sleep hygiene and the development of personalised approaches to support healthy adolescent sleep, thereby improving educational attainment, psychological well-being and long-term physical health.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Observational and genetic analyses have demonstrated that the timing of puberty exerts a causal influence on sleep duration. Specifically, later onset of menarche is associated with longer habitual sleep, suggesting that pubertal hormones modulate circadian drive and homeostatic sleep pressure. In a complementary longitudinal study, baseline chronotype and school start times were shown to shape the trajectory of sleep–wake preferences over adolescence. Students assigned to later class schedules exhibited attenuated shifts towards eveningness, whereas those in early-morning sessions experienced greater phase delay. These results underscore the independent and interacting roles of biological predisposition and institutional scheduling in determining adolescent sleep patterns.

Adolescent Sleep Patterns and Circadian Influences publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in adolescent sleep patterns and circadian influences across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Chronotype: An individual’s propensity to sleep and be active at particular times within the 24-hour cycle.

Circadian rhythm: Endogenous, near-24-hour oscillations in physiology and behaviour, including the sleep–wake cycle.

Social jet lag: The misalignment between an individual’s internal circadian phase and externally imposed schedules.

Pubertal timing: The age and tempo of sexual maturation, influencing hormonal modulation of sleep regulation.

Daytime sleepiness: The tendency to feel drowsy or fall asleep during waking hours, often reflecting insufficient or poorly timed nocturnal sleep.

References

1. Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention in Youth: Long-Term Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2024).
2. Kairos study protocol: a multidisciplinary approach to the study of school timing and its effects on health, well-being and students’ performance. Frontiers in Public Health (2024).
3. Age of puberty and Sleep duration: Observational and Mendelian randomization study. Scientific Reports (2020).
4. Chronotype at the beginning of secondary school and school timing are both associated with chronotype development during adolescence. Scientific Reports (2022).
5. Prospective association between evening circadian preference and academic functioning in adolescents: the role of daytime sleepiness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (2022).