Technology use as a sleep-onset aid: are adolescents using apps to distract themselves from negative thoughts?

Study Objectives: The aim of this study was to; (1) explore whether adolescents use technology as distraction from negative thoughts before sleep, (2) assess whether adolescents who perceive having a sleep problem use technology as distraction more compared to adolescents without sleep complaints, and (3) collect qualitative information about which devices and apps adolescents use as a distraction. Methods: This study used a mixed-methods cross-sectional design, where 684 adolescents (M = 15.1, SD = 1.2, 46% female) answered both quantitative and qualitative questions about their sleep (perceived sleep problem, sleep onset time (SOT), and sleep onset latency [SOL]) and technology use as distraction from negative thoughts. Results: The majority of adolescents answered "yes" or "sometimes" using technology as a distraction from negative thoughts (23.6% and 38.4%). Adolescents who answered "yes" to using technology as distraction were more likely to report having a sleep problem, longer SOL, and later SOT, compared to adolescents who answered "no". The most popular device to distract was the phone, because of its availability, and the most common apps used for distraction included YouTube, Snapchat, and music apps. Conclusions: This study shows that many adolescents use technology to distract themselves from negative thoughts, which may help them manage the sleep-onset process. Thus, distraction may be one mechanism explaining how sleep affects technology use, rather than vice versa.

Trajectories of insomnia symptoms and insufficient sleep duration in early adolescents: associations with school stress.

Study Objectives: We examined how adolescents' sleep patterns (i.e. insomnia symptoms and sleep duration) change from early- to mid-adolescence and whether adolescents follow different trajectories. Furthermore, we also examined the characteristics of adolescents within different trajectories, with a specific focus on the role of school-related stress. Methods: We used three longitudinal waves of questionnaire data collected annually from a sample of Swedish adolescents (n = 1294; Mage = 13.2 [range: 12-15 years], SD = .42; 46.8% girls). Using established measures, the students reported on their sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, and perceived school-stress (including stress of school performance, peer and teacher relations, attendance, and school-leisure conflict). We used latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to identify adolescents' sleep trajectories, and the BCH method to describe the characteristics of the adolescents in each trajectory. Results: We found four trajectories for adolescents' insomnia symptoms; (1) low insomnia (69%), (2) low-increasing (17%, 'emerging risk-group'), (3) high-decreasing (9%), (4) high-increasing (5%; 'risk-group'). For sleep duration, we found two trajectories; (1) ~8 h sufficient-decreasing (85%), (2) ~7 h insufficient- decreasing (15%; 'risk-group'). Adolescents in risk-trajectories were more likely to be girls and consistently reported higher levels of school stress, particularly regarding school performance and attending school. Conclusions: School stress was prominent among adolescents suffering from persistent sleep problems, especially insomnia, and deserves further attention.

Bidirectional associations between adolescents' sleep problems and impulsive behavior over time.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Adolescents who experience sleep problems are less able to resist impulses. Furthermore, youths who show more impulsive behaviors are, in turn, assumed to have more sleep problems, which sets the stage for a negative cycle over time. Empirical research has shown some evidence that sleep problems affect impulse control, but the bidirectional link has previously not been tested. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test this assumption. METHODS: In this study, we used cross-lagged models to investigate the bidirectional association between sleep problems (ie, insomnia and sleep duration) and impulsive behaviors over two years in a cohort of young adolescents (n = 2767, mean age ∼13.7, 47.6% girls). We also investigated the moderating role of age and gender. RESULTS: The results showed that the links between sleep duration/insomnia and impulsive behavior are bidirectional. Youths who experienced sleep problems also experienced increased difficulties with impulse control, and problems regulating impulses were also linked with increases in sleep problems, and these effects were systematic over two years. Moreover, age did not moderate these associations but impulsive behaviors had a larger impact on girls' insomnia as compared to boys. CONCLUSIONS: By confirming the bi-directionality of this association, this study supports the importance of developing interventions to promote sleep health in adolescents but also the need to tailor such programs to adolescents' development because adolescents might not be able to prioritize sleep if they cannot control their impulses.