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The maturation of sleep regulatory systems during adolescence in combination with psychosocial and societal pressures culminate in a "Perfect Storm" of short and ill-timed sleep and the associated consequences for many youngsters. This model, first described by Carskadon in 2011, guides our current thinking of adolescent sleep behavior. Since the original description, the field has moved forward with remarkable pace, and this review aims to summarize recent progress and describe how this new work informs our understanding of sleep regulation and sleep behavior during this developmental time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in women living in the United States. Methods: Data are presented from the National Sleep Foundation's 2007 Sleep in America Poll that included 959 women (18–64 years of age) surveyed by telephone about their sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors. Results: Poor sleep quality was reported by 27% and daytime sleepiness was reported by 21% of respondents. Logistic multivariate regression analyses revealed that poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were both independently associated with poor health, having a sleep disorder, and psychological distress. Also, multivariate analyses showed that women who consumed more caffeinated beverages and those who had more than one job were more likely to report poor sleep quality but not daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness, on the other hand, was independently associated with being black/African American, younger, disabled, having less education, and daytime napping. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness are common in American women and are associated with health-related, as well as sociodemographic, factors. Addressing sleep-related complaints in women is important to improve their daytime functioning and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Three independent lines of inquiry have found associations between alcohol use and academic performance, sleep and academic performance, and alcohol use and sleep. The present study bridges this research by examining the links among alcohol use, sleep, and academic performance in college students. Method: Personal interview surveys were conducted with a random sample of 236 students (124 women) at a liberal arts college. The interviews measured alcohol consumption, gender, academic class, weekday and weekend bedtimes and rise times, and daytime sleepiness; 95% of the sample granted permission to obtain grade-point average (GPA) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores from official college records. Results: Ordinary least squares regressions showed that alcohol consumption was a significant predictor of four sleep patterns: the duration of sleep, the timing of sleep, the difference between weekday and weekend night-time sleep hours (oversleep), and the difference between weekday and weekend bedtimes (bedtime delay). Women and students with late sleep schedules were more apt to report daytime sleepiness. SAT score was the strongest predictor of GPA. However, gender, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness also were significant predictors when other variables were controlled. In addition to alcohol's direct relationship with GPA, mediational analysis indicated that alcohol had indirect effects on sleepiness and GPA, primarily through its effect on sleep schedule. Conclusions: The findings show how alcohol use among college students is related to sleep-wake patterns and further support the connection between alcohol use and grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much contemporary research has demonstrated the multiple ways that sleep is important for child and adolescent development. This article reviews that research with an emphasis on how sleep parameters are related to school adjustment and achievement. Five areas of sleep research are reviewed to discern implications for practice with children using an evaluation rubric of strong, moderate, and weak evidence. The research has implications for assessment of sleep and sleepiness in the schools, for primary and secondary prevention activities, and for interventions by school psychologists targeting children and adolescents with sleep problems that affect their school functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study surveyed high school personnel regarding high school start times, factors influencing school start times, and decision making around school schedules. Surveys were analyzed from 345 secondary schools selected at random from the National Center for Educational Statistics database. Factors affecting reported start times included economic background of the students, number of bus tiers, and school size. Most schools had not contemplated changing or changed their school start times. Of those schools in which changes were contemplated, 32% noted concerns about teenagers' sleep needs and about 50% of the respondents endorsed possible positive outcomes, such as lower tardiness and absenteeism rates. Perceived barriers to changing school schedules commonly endorsed included sports practices, after-school activities, and the transportation system. Approximately 50% of respondents indicated that sleep is included in their district's high school health or biology course offerings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-eight 1st-time mothers were recruited from childbirth classes and were assessed at 4 different time periods: the last trimester of pregnancy, 2-4 weeks postpartum, 12-16 weeks postpartum, and 12-15 months postpartum. Measures included a daily sleep-wake diary and a depression scale (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D). Results reveal significant differences in weekday night sleep schedules (rise time, time awake due to disruptions, and nap time) at 2-4 weeks postpartum in comparison to other times of measurement. Total sleep time and bedtime was not significantly different between times of measurement. More depressive symptoms were reported at 2-4 weeks postpartum than at later postpartum measurements. Mothers who developed clinically elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16) at 2-4 weeks postpartum reported more total sleep time, later rise times, and more time napping at the end of pregnancy in comparison to those mothers that reported fewer depressive symptoms (CES D < 16) at 2-4 weeks postpartum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shorter sleep duration can negatively impact children's daytime functioning and health. Latino children living near urban areas in the Mainland U.S. and Island Puerto Rico (PR) can be exposed to urban poverty and sociocultural stressors that challenge optimal sleep outcomes. Interventions to improve urban Latino children's sleep health should consider families' cultural background and environmental context to enhance acceptability and feasibility. This work describes our stepwise, multimethod approach to adapting a culturally and contextually tailored "School Intervention to Enhance Latino Students' Time Asleep (SIESTA)" for sixth- to eighth-grade Latino children residing in Greater Providence and San Juan and findings from a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) demonstrating SIESTA's efficacy. Results indicated high acceptability and greater improvement of sleep duration and behaviors in SIESTA versus control participants. The SIESTA shows potential to improve sleep outcomes in urban Latino middle schoolers. Results will inform a large-scale RCT to evaluate SIESTA's effectiveness and barriers to implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the relationship between the sleep/wake habits of adolescents and the characteristics of students and daytime functioning. Description of individuals during adolescent stage; Indication that adolescents' need for sleep declines; Explanation for the sleeping habits of adolescents.

Sleep disruption is prevalent among children placed in foster care, elevating risk for a range of deleterious outcomes. Theoretically, achieving permanency via adoption may have a positive influence on children's sleep via the presence of various factors, but little is known about the sleep health of children adopted from foster care, including predictors and moderators of sleep health. The current study included 226 parents who adopted a child from foster care in the U.S. (aged 4–11 years) within the past two years and a propensity score matched sample of 379 caregivers of children currently in foster care. Both samples completed online questionnaires about their child's sleep, physical, and mental health. Comparatively, children in foster care experienced more nightmares, night terrors, moving to someone else's' bed during the night, and worse overall sleep quality, whereas adopted children were reported to experience significantly more nighttime awakenings. In the adopted sample, a greater number of prior foster placements unexpectedly predicted lower total sleep disturbance scores, but this relationship was moderated by parent–child interactions around sleep. In general, greater parental involvement in children's sleep was associated with lower levels of child sleep disturbance. Findings suggest that while specific sleep problems might remit after children in foster care achieve permanence, nighttime sleep fragmentation often persists. Parent–child interactions surrounding sleep may be pivotal in improving sleep health in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between self-reported sleep quality and sleep hygiene in Italian and American adolescents and to assess whether sleep-hygiene practices mediate the relationship between culture and sleep quality. Methods. Two nonprobability samples were collected from public schools in Rome, Italy, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Students completed the following self-report measures: Adolescent Sleep-Wake Scale, Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, Pubertal Developmental Scale, and Morningness/Eveningness Scale. Results. The final sample included 776 Italian and 572 American adolescents 12 to 17 years old. Italian adolescents reported much better sleep hygiene and substantially better sleep quality than American adolescents. A moderate-to-strong linear relationship was found between sleep hygiene and sleep quality in both samples. Separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed on both samples. Demographic and individual characteristics explained a significant proportion of the variance in sleep quality (Italians: 18%; Americans: 25%), and the addition of sleep-hygiene domains explained significantly more variance in sleep quality (Italians: 17%; Americans: 16%). A final hierarchical multiple regression analysis with both samples combined showed that culture (Italy versus United States) only explained 0.8% of the variance in sleep quality after controlling for sleep hygiene and all other variables. Conclusions. Cross-cultural differences in sleep quality, for the most part, were due to differences in sleep-hygiene practices. Sleep hygiene is an important predictor of sleep quality in Italian and American adolescents, thus supporting the implementation and evaluation of educational programs on good sleep-hygiene practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]