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Review
. 2016 Nov:70:182-188.
doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.008. Epub 2016 Aug 13.

Sleep in adolescence: Physiology, cognition and mental health

Leila Tarokh  1 , Jared M Saletin  2 , Mary A Carskadon  3
Affiliations
Review

Sleep in adolescence: Physiology, cognition and mental health

Leila Tarokh et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Sleep is a core behavior of adolescents, consuming up to a third or more of each day. As part of this special issue on the adolescent brain, we review changes to sleep behaviors and sleep physiology during adolescence with a particular focus on the sleeping brain. We posit that brain activity during sleep may provide a unique window onto adolescent cortical maturation and compliment waking measures. In addition, we review how sleep actively supports waking cognitive functioning in adolescence. Though this review is focused on sleep in healthy adolescents, the striking comorbidity of sleep disruption with nearly all psychiatric and developmental disorders (for reviews see ,) further highlights the importance of understanding the determinants and consequences of adolescent sleep for the developing brain. Figure 1 illustrates the overarching themes of our review, linking brain development, sleep development, and behavioral outcomes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Determinants and Consequences of Adolescent Sleep
This diagram outlines the central theme of the review: a complex milieu of determinants and consequences of sleep interact during the sensitive window of adolescence. Center: Developmental shifts in sleep behavior (e.g., sleep need and timing) and physiology (e.g., slow waves and sleep spindles) index maturational changes in sleep and circadian regulatory systems emerging along with developmental trajectories of grey and white matter within the brain. Top: Several moderating and mediating extrinsic pressures can alter sleep behavior and physiology beyond intrinsic developmental forces, including school schedules, extra-curricular activities, and technology use. Bottom: Healthy development of sleep during adolescence underlies a variety of functional outcomes. Together this framework highlights sleep during adolescence as a “perfect storm” (Carskadon, 2011): a sensitive time-period where developmental changes, together with (mal)-adaptive environmental forces, may yield powerful consequences for behavior and cognition.
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