Teen Sleep Well
Understanding the shared contributors to poor sleep & obesity in adolescents
Adolescence is a critical window in behavioural development, including for sleep habits and weight management. Therefore, it is important we understand how best to cultivate behaviours that are beneficial to child wellbeing in this period so that positive lifelong habits are formed. Teen Sleep Well studies what elements shape adolescent sleep and weight status to inform targeted interventions that have a lasting effect on individual health.
Aims of Teen Sleep Well
Currently, there is insufficient research on the relationship between adolescent sleep and weight – two core pillars of health with longterm relevance to an individual’s wellbeing. Therefore, this study aims to investigate:
Are there differences in sleep behaviours and wellbeing across different adiposity levels?
What factors contribute to poor sleep & childhood obesity – making them key targets for behavioural intervention?
By answering these questions, this study helps identify how to successfully target the evening routine of adolescents (11-14 year olds) to create a health promoting interventions.
Study Design
This study collected data from:
Adolescents & their parents
…with adolescents ranging from ages
11-14
Subjective & objective measures of sleep & obesity
Study Timeline
Participants were recruited and screened for study eligibility
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Participants attended an initial lab consultation where parents and participants completed various health habit questionnaires and the adolescents underwent a physical assessment (height, weight, body composition)
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Participants then went home with a sleep tracker and sleep diary and were asked to record sleep data for 7-10 days
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At the final consultation, the research team collected all the data.
Findings
%
of 11-14 year olds had poor/problematic sleep habits
%
Of adolescents had a bedtime past midnight on a weekday
This rose to 55% on weekends
Adolescents the recommended 9 hours of sleep on weekday nights
The Relationship Between Sleep & Obesity
Adolescents who were overweight or obese tended to…
Have worse sleep habits
Have worse insomnia
Take longer to fall asleep
Poorer sleep quality
Co-Contributors to Poor Sleep & Obesity
The following factors were identified as contributing to both poor sleep & obesity amongst adolescents.
Late Night Food Consumption
Eating late at night can delay the release of the body’s sleep hormone, melatonin, disrupting sleep patterns.
Poor Wellbeing
Stress, depression, and anxiety are closely interlinked with poor sleep & obesity.
Excessive Screen Use
Late night electronic use can contribute to poor sleep through blue-light exposure and the addictive nature of modern digital platforms.
By being aware of these determinants, we can design targeted approaches to overcoming them to hopefully improve child sleep, health, & wellbeing.
Still Curious?
Access study materials & publications here…
Funding
This programme was made possible through funding from the St Andrews Dragon’s Den Competition.
Page References
1.Gale EL. Shared determinants of poor sleep and increased adiposity and obesity in childhood and adolescence [unpublished thesis]. St Andrews: University of St Andrews; 2024.