Sufficient Sleep in Teenagers

D. Jacob (Jake) Clary

Sherry Pugh
January 19, 2015

Abstract

Teenagers are at a very high risk of vehicular crashes, errors in schooling,

and many chronic diseases, all because they are not receiving sufficient sleep in
their lives. In an attempt to see how many teenagers actually sleep the optimal
nine to ten hours every night, as well as see the number of teenagers who
unintentionally fall asleep during the day because of their lack of sleep at night, a
31-person sample size was obtained through collecting surveys and logs from
current Southwest Virginia Governors School and Pulaski County High School
students, aged 16 to 19. Each participant was to complete a weeklong log of how
many hours they slept, and how many times they unintentionally fell asleep the
following day. Results showed that only 19.35% (42 of 217) of all entries
sufficiently slept (9 hours or more) at night, with the other 80.65% sleeping
insufficiently. 64.98% (141 of 217) of entries stated that they never
unintentionally fell asleep during the day. Even with the large number of zeros, a
weak negative correlation of -0.226 still resulted from the data. Though not as
strong as expected, this experiment still showed that when teenagers sleep
sufficiently, they usually would not unintentionally fall asleep during the day,
which would lessen their chances of crashes, diseases, or doing poorly in school.
A much larger sample size and the collection of grades, number of crashes, and
severity of diseases in relation to teenagers sleep would better this experiment.

Introduction

Sufficient sleep is extremely important to all humans. Increased studies

have shown insufficient sleep has led to more vehicular crashes, occupational
errors, and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity,
hypertension, and even cancer (Insufficient Sleep, 2014; Noland, H. K., 2009).
Insufficient sleep can also lead to decreased learning abilities, attitude changes,
increased stress, and decreased immunity to illnesses (Noland, H. K., 2009;
Teens and Sleep, (n.d.)). Sleep, one of the most important biological needs of
the human body, affects every aspect of humans lives (Insufficient Sleep, 2014;
Noland, H. K., 2009.)
Sleep is categorized into five stages: I, II, III, IV, and REM. Stages I-IV
are known as quiet sleep, while REM is known as active sleep. Stage I,
characterized by theta waves, is a very light sleep in which the person can be
easily awakened, the eyes begin to move slowly, and muscle activity slows. Stage
II, which also contains theta waves, is still a light sleep but eye movement stops.
Brain waves also slow with bursts of rapid waves. These rapid waves are known
as sleep spindles and K complexes. Stages III and IV, characterized by delta
waves, are extremely similar, as eye movement and muscle activity stops. These
stages are known as delta sleep, or deep sleep, and in these stages bedwetting,
sleepwalking, and sleep talking can or may occur. Lastly, REM Sleep, or Rapid

Eye Movement Sleep, is the only stage of active sleep. In REM, the eyes begin to
jerk rapidly, muscle tone seems to be paralyzed, heart rate increases, blood
pressure rises, and brain waves are similar to if the person were awake, with alpha
and beta waves. Also, in REM stage, vivid dreaming occurs, where individuals
can usually remember the dream after they awaken (Stages, 1998; All About
Sleep, (n.d)).
The amount of sleep each person really needs in order to accomplish daily
tasks varies directly by age. Newborns and infants should receive 16-18 hours of
sleep, preschool-aged children should receive 11-12 hours of sleep, school-aged
children should receive around 10 hours of sleep, teenagers should receive 9-10
hours of sleep, and adults should receive 7-8 hours of sleep every night (Are you
getting enough sleep?, 2014; Insufficient Sleep, 2014). However, the majority
of people do not receive their suggested number of sleep hours every night
(Loessl, B. U., 2008).
Teenagers and younger children are especially vulnerable to their need for
sufficient sleep, since their bodies are rapidly changing through growth,
hormones, and the pressures of schooling and social lives. Teenagers, in
particular, are beginning new activities such as driving and working (Sleep and
Teens, (n.d.); Drowsy Driving, (n.d.)). Driving involves a great amount of
attention, reaction time, and information processing. When teens, or anyone for
that matter, are on the road, and have not had enough sleep, their reaction time is

slowed, vigilance is reduced, and processing takes much longer. All of these
factors lead to a much greater risk of crashing, which in turn leads to the
endangerment of lives (Drowsy Driving, (n.d.)).
Schooling and working also involve great concentration, attention,
information processing, and listening skills. Teens, and others, that are sleepdeprived will be less successful in their schools and workplaces, since insufficient
sleep results in weakened senses and decreased concentration and attention
(Noland, H. K., 2009; Sleep and Teens, (n.d.)).
Many sleep disorders are detrimental to humans lives, and put them at
danger every time they go to sleep. Some of these sleep disorders are directly
related to people not paying attention to the warning signs that are so evident.
There is a great multitude of sleep disorders, and an estimated 20% of all
Americans have a sleep disorder (Insufficient Sleep, 2014; All About Sleep,
(n.d.)). While some are more severe than others, the most common are
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Narcolepsy, and Circadian Rhythm
Disorders. Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the air a person breathes when
they sleep is blocked from the lungs because of the windpipe collapsing. This
causes periods throughout the night in which that person is not breathing at all,
from 10 seconds to just over a minute. Overweight people are most at risk for this
sleep disorder. Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, affects about 60
million Americans at any time. This sleep disorder, also formally known as

Difficulty Initiating and Maintaining Sleep (DIMS), is just the hardships of

sleeping. It can be short-term, transient, or chronic (long-term), and there are
several variables as to which kind and how severe it may be. Narcolepsy is not
very common, and it causes people to suddenly fall asleep many times during the
day. These sudden sleep attacks can be extremely dangerous, since they can
happen at any time, even when driving (All About Sleep, (n.d.); Sleep and
Teens, (n.d)). Circadian Rhythm disorders, though not very serious, include jet
lag, shift work, delayed sleep phase disorder, advanced sleep phase disorder, and
irregular sleep-wake rhythm. These disorders are most common in teens, and
cause them to be very alert at night, while very sleepy throughout the school day
(Circadian Rhythms, (n.d)). Other factors that affect how much and how well
individuals sleep includes light, chronic pain, medications, stress, caffeine,
alcohol, and nicotine (External Factors, 2007).
The purpose of this study was to compare the number of hours teenagers
sleep and the number of times those individuals unintentionally fall asleep during
the following day, since most other data involve twenty year-olds and above.
When teenagers slept the optimal nine to ten hours or greater, they were expected
to not unintentionally fall asleep during the day, while if they slept insufficiently,
they were expected to unintentionally fall asleep during the day. Therefore, a
strong negative correlation very close to -1 was expected. This will show how
important sufficient sleep really is, especially in teenagers, whose lives are

extremely jumbled with activities such as schooling, driving and working. This
study will allow teens to learn the importance of sleep, as well as show how they
cope with limited sleep.

Method and Materials

A 31-person sample size was obtained from students at Southwest Virginia

Governors School and Pulaski County High School, aged 16 to 19 years old.
Around 100 consent forms were handed out, and 41 were returned. Those 41
people then received a survey (see Appendix), asking them their age, and whether
they had any diagnosed sleep disorders, and a log (see Appendix), to fill out the
number of hours they slept every night for a week, and how many times they
unintentionally fell asleep during the following day. 31 of the completed surveys
and logs were returned. All confidentiality was maintained by keeping all
completed surveys and logs, along with their matching human informed consent
form, in a folder that no one was able to observe. Each day was counted
separately, so 217 points were added onto a scatterplot on Microsoft Excel. That
scatterplot was used to make a line of best fit in which the standard regression
was taken, along with the kind of correlation that was shown. Also, a histogram
was created to show the count of the number of hours the entire sample slept, each
grouped into segments of two hours. Another histogram was created to show the

count of the number of times the entire sample unintentionally fell asleep. No
error bars were needed, since there were no averages being taken, just counts.

Results

The results showed the number of hours each participant slept every night
for a week, as well as how many times they unintentionally fell asleep the
following day. Figure 1 (See Appendix) was a scatterplot that included 217 points
showing the number of hours slept versus the number of times unintentionally
fallen asleep. A line of best fit was added to the scatterplot, which showed a
formula of y=-0.1296x+1.5785, an R2 value of 0.05111, and a standard regression
that showed a weak negative correlation of -0.226.
Figure 2 was a histogram showing the count of the number of hours each
participant slept. There was a range of 2 to 12 hours of sleep, so the hours were
separated into groups of two-hour periods: 2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6 to 8, 8 to 10, and 10 to
12. 48.39% (105 of 217) of all entries on the logs slept in the range of 6-8 hours.
Only 19.35% (42 of 217) of all entries on the logs showed that the person slept
sufficiently (9 hours or greater), while the other 80.65% (175 of 217) slept
insufficiently.

Count of Number of Hours Slept

120
100
80
Count of How Many Times Each Sleep Time Occurred

60
40
20
0

Figure 2: This is a histogram, comparing the number of hours each participant slept (x-axis)
versus the number of times each sleep time occurred (y-axis). Through a sample size of n=31,
217 points were added to this graph, with the majority sleeping 6-8 hours, which is insufficient
in teenagers. Only 19.35% of all entries slept sufficiently (9 hours or more).
Figure 3 was also a histogram, but it showed the number of times each
participant unintentionally fell asleep. There was a range of 0 to 5 times, with
zero times being the majority by a heavy margin, and the fewest at four times.
64.98% (141 of 217) of all entries on the logs showed that the person never
unintentionally fell asleep during the day. 0.009% (2 of 217) of all entries on the
logs showed that the person unintentionally fell asleep four times, which was the
fewest, right before five times at 0.013% (3 of 217).

Count of Number of Times Unintentionally Fell Asleep

Figure 3: This is a histogram, comparing the number of times each participant unintentionally fell
asleep (x-axis) versus how many times each time occurred (y-axis). From a sample size of n=31, 217
points were added to this graph, with the majority unintentionally falling asleep zero times (64.98%)
during the following day.

Discussion/Conclusion

Through a weak negative correlation of -0.226, the results showed that

when teenagers slept their recommended nine hours or greater, they
unintentionally fall asleep less during the day (Figure 1). Since only 19.35% of
the participants slept the recommended nine to ten hours or more, this result
seems extremely accurate (Figure 2).

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Some factors that could have influenced the results, and skewed away
from the expected correlation of -1, possibly were the number of zeros that
occurred when asking for unintentional sleep times, the lack of 19 year-olds, and a
participant with a sleep disorder. One factor that could have affected the results
greatly was how many times the number of unintentional sleep times was zero
(Figure 3). With 64.98% of all entries showing zero times unintentionally falling
asleep, the word unintentional should have been further explained to the
participants. Another factor that could have influenced the results was that no 19
year-olds were obtained through this survey, even though a sample of 16 to 19
year-olds was expected. Along with those, another factor that could have affected
the results was that one participant that was obtained actually had a sleep disorder,
Sleep Apnea. Even though this persons results looked extremely normal,
compared to the other participants results, this participant possibly should have
been excluded from the results.
In order to have the greatest results, a much larger sample size should have
been obtained, as well as obtaining other data, like the grades on tests that the
participants received after sufficiently sleeping and after insufficiently sleeping
the night before, the percentage of vehicular crashes when the participant has
fallen asleep on the road, and the severity of diseases in relation to teenagers
sleep. If these excess data sources are obtained, this project would be bettered
extremely, since the results would be much more sufficient.

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Findings from this project, along with similar data obtained from other
related projects, can hopefully show teenagers the extreme importance of
sufficient sleep. Today, so many teenagers are not sleeping enough, due to school,
work, stress, and social lives. This lack of sleep can lead to the body
unintentionally falling asleep throughout the day, which leads to a much higher
risk of vehicular crashes, schooling errors, and chronic diseases. Findings from
this project also will further compare teenagers to adults, through their sleeping
habits.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mrs. Sherry Pugh for assisting me throughout my

entire science fair project, including sharing this great science fair idea with me. I
would also like to thank Mr. Greg Riffe for helping greatly with the statistics
portion of my project, including his help in creating the three graphs to show my
results.

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Literature Cited

Peer Reviewed:
Are you getting enough sleep? (2014, April 14). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sleep/
Drowsy Driving. (n.d.). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from
http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/Drowsy.html#NCSD
R/NHTSA
External Factors that Influence Sleep. (2007, December 18). Retrieved January 6,
2015, from
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/how/external-factors.
Insufficient Sleep is a Public Health Epidemic. (2014, January 13). Retrieved
January 6, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/.
Loessl, B. U. (2008). Are adolescents chronically sleep-deprived? An
investigation of sleep habits of adolescents in the Southwest of Germany.
Child: Care, Health & Development, 34(5), 549-556.
Noland, H. K. (2009). Adolescents Sleep Behaviors and Perceptions of Sleep.
Journal Of School Health, 79(5), 224-230.
Non-Peer Reviewed:
All About Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from http://www.sleepdex.org/
Circadian Rhythms. (n.d.). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from
http://sleepcenter.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=53
Sleep and Teens. (n.d.). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from
http://sleepcenter.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=63#.VImexDtumSM.gmail
Stages of Sleep. (1998). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from
http://web.mst.edu/~psyworld/sleep_stages.htm

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Teens and Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved January 7, 2015, from

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep

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Appendix

Survey:
Name:

How old are you?

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesd
ay

Thursda
y

Number of
Hours Slept
Number of
Times
Unintentionally
Fallen Asleep
Do you have any sleep disorders, such as Narcolepsy, Insomnia,
or Sleep Apnea?

Log:

Friday

S
y

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