Let them hit snooze: Sleeping in helped teenagers cope with pandemic stress, study finds
A groggy, grumbling 16-year-old stumbles out of bed after a long bout of hitting the snooze button. School starts at 8 a.m. sharp; like a zombie, he shuffles to his first class of the day, bleary-eyed and undercaffeinated.
It’s a teenage stereotype we’re all familiar with.
But how might things change if that teenager were given the opportunity to sleep in? What would happen if going to school meant walking to the kitchen table, not the bus?
These questions were explored in a new McGill study that analyzed how studying from home during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the sleep habits of adolescents.
The study, published in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, found that teens were better rested during the pandemic — a finding which the study’s lead author found rather surprising.
“We thought they would sleep less or [would] be suffering in their sleep, but they actually slept longer,” said Dr. Reut Gruber, who is a psychiatry professor at McGill.
Researchers assessed the sleep patterns of 62 adolescents from January 15 to March 13, 2020, and then from May 15 to June 30, 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing.
The study found that the bedtime and wake-up time of teens shifted by roughly two hours.
According to the study, teenagers typically have what’s called a delayed biological rhythm, meaning they have a natural tendency to fall asleep and wake up at later hours.
Gruber explains that the elimination of a morning commute allowed students to follow the cues of their “biological clocks.”
In addition to this, fewer social obligations and extracurricular activities meant teenagers weren’t required to sacrifice their sleeping hours to catch up on homework.
SLEEP, THE ULTIMATE STRESS-BUSTER
The pandemic was undoubtedly an anxiety-inducing time for many teenagers.
“This has been a major challenge, the high levels of stress, the mental-health challenges,” said Gruber.
But the study found that by getting extra rest, teens were more equipped to deal with the stress of COVID-19 — a finding which should encourage schools to modify school start times, according to Gruber.
“Why don’t we do something to make sure that we protect their sleep?” she implored.
As it turns out, that grumpy, sleep-deprived teenager might be feeling high levels of stress and anxiety that could be mitigated by some extra Zz's.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during UK trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.