BALTIMORE, June 10 (UPI) -- A lack of sleep among adolescents may contribute to lower grades, a lack of motivation and an increased risk of emotional disturbances, U.S. researchers say.
A study of 882 high school freshmen found students reported sleeping, on average, 7.6 hours per school night, with 48 percent reporting less than eight hours. Hours of sleep per school night were significantly positively associated with grade point average and level of motivation and significantly negatively associated with clinically significant levels of emotional disturbance and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Each additional hour of sleep on school nights lowered the odds of scoring in the clinically significant range of emotional disturbance and ADHD by 25 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
"Since these findings are based on associations rather than direct experimental manipulation, they cannot conclusively prove that insufficient sleep causes a loss of motivation, poor grades, ADHD, and emotional disturbance during adolescence," Fred Danner of the University of Kentucky said in a statement. "Lack of sleep should no longer be considered a traditional adolescent rite of passage because it can have serious consequences."
It is recommended that adolescents get nine hours of nightly sleep.
The findings were presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Baltimore.
