Pathways to Adolescent Health through Proper Sleep Regulation

For the proper physical and mental growth and balance, sleep is a must need for every adolescent. Adolescent behavior is closely correlated with adequate sleep. Most of the people are unaware of the severe and prolonged effects of inadequate sleep in adolescents. In order to ensure healthy adolescent development, sleep regulation is very much needed. At the time of sleep, there brain maturation and pubertal development happens. In sleep, the substantial biological and psychosocial changes of the adolescents occur. At the time of adolescence, interactions between physical and psychosocial domains can lead to dramatic alterations in sleep patterns and habits. Sleep deprivation has its greatest negative effects on the control of behavior, emotion, and attention, a regulatory interface that is critical in the development of social and academic competence, and psychiatric disorders.

In terms of knowledge regarding importance of sleep for adolescents, there is still huge gap in existing knowledge, health policy decisions and recommendations.

Reference:

Dahl, R. E., & Lewin, D. S. (2002). Pathways to adolescent health sleep regulation and behavior. Journal of adolescent health, 31(6), 175-184.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X02005062