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
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.