Late Nights, Little Sleep Could Be Stunting Teen Brain Growth

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Early to bed, early to rise makes teenagers… smarter? New international research using Fitbit data from thousands of teens has revealed that adolescents with earlier bedtimes and longer sleep duration consistently outperform their night-owl peers on cognitive tests. Brain scans show sleep patterns during these formative years can shape a teen’s brain for years to come.

A massive study published in Cell Reports analyzed the sleep habits of over 3,200 adolescents using wearable Fitbit devices, finding that sleep patterns fall into three distinct “biotypes” that correlate with different brain structures and cognitive abilities. These differences persist throughout early adolescence, suggesting that early sleep habits could have lasting impacts on teen brain development.

The researchers identified three distinct sleep patterns among adolescents. “Biotype 1” teens had the shortest sleep duration, latest bedtime and sleep onset, earliest wake-up time, and highest heart rate during sleep. “Biotype 3” represented the opposite end of the spectrum with the longest sleep duration, earliest bedtime and sleep onset, and lowest heart rate during sleep. “Biotype 2” fell in between these extremes.

When researchers examined cognitive performance, they found a consistent pattern: Biotype 3 teens (those with earlier bedtimes and longer sleep) consistently showed better cognitive performance than Biotype 1 teens (late-to-bed, early-to-rise, shorter sleep). These cognitive advantages persisted when the researchers tracked the same teens over time from ages 9 to 14.

Brain scans showed that teens who stayed up later and slept less (Biotype 1) had weaker connections between key brain areas.

The researchers followed adolescents from ages 9-10 through age 14, finding that the brain and cognitive differences between the three biotypes remained consistent over time. This suggests that the effects of sleep patterns on brain development aren’t temporary but may shape cognitive trajectories throughout adolescence.

Source: Study Finds
https://studyfinds.org/late-nights-sleep-teen-brain-growth/