Teens are Sleeping Less, and Less, and Less

Three out of four teenagers aren’t getting enough sleep, and the gap has been widening

STUDY: Widome R et al, Pediatrics 2026;157(6):

STUDY TYPE: Cross-sectional survey study

FUNDING: National Institute on Drug Abuse; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Background

Most teenagers don’t get the 8–10 hours of sleep per night that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends. The most recent data tells us teen sleep declined from from 1991 to 2012. This study extends that analysis to 2023.

The Study

• 401,160 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 surveyed annually from 1991 to 2023, drawn from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future study.
• Two self-reported sleep measures: whether teens got at least 7 hours per night, and whether they felt they got enough sleep.
• Outcomes were analyzed by age, time period, birth cohort, and demographic subgroup.

Results

The sleep decline didn’t end. In 2021–2023, the share of teens getting 7 or more hours of sleep per night was the lowest ever recorded at every age, ranging from 37% among 12- to 13-year-olds to just 22% among 18- to 19-year-olds. Those numbers look bad against the 8–10-hour recommendation.

The racial gap widened sharply. In 1991–1995, Black and white adolescents were equally likely to report 7 or more hours of sleep per night (odds ratio 0.99). By 2021–2023, Black teens were 21% less likely to report that. Hispanic and Latino teens showed a similar trend.

Socioeconomic gaps grew too. By 2021–2023, teens with at least one college-educated parent had 57% greater odds of getting 7 or more hours of sleep compared to those without.

Practice Implications

1. Sleep deprivation causes or worsens: ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar…. likely every psych disorder is affected.
2. Sleep apnea is on the rise in teens as well, driven in part by obesity.
3. Many teens are night owls and can benefit from blue light blocking glasses at night and dawn simulators in morning.

— Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report

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