Factors associated with night sleep in adolescents

Introduction: during adolescence there are many changes in lifestyle that also affect sleep patterns, patterns that are key in the development of young people and their health status. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyse the relationship and influence of various lifestyle habits, physical and psychosocial health indicators, and sociodemographic variables on the duration of night sleep.

Method: a cross-sectional study was applied to a sample of 761 students (14.51±1.63 years) from 25 educational centers in a region of northern Spain. Their hours of nightly sleep were assessed, as well as their adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity engagement, health-related quality of life, self-esteem, maximum oxygen uptake, body mass index, academic performance, and various sociodemographic factors.

Results: being older and having a higher body mass index, as well as lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and studying in urban centers were predictors of a lower number of hours of nightly sleep, explaining 26.2% of its variance. Likewise, adolescents who did not meet the nightly sleep recommendations had lower rates of health-related quality of life and self-esteem, as well as lower levels of physical activity and maximal oxygen uptake.

Conclusions: interventions aimed at preventing sleep disorders should take into account the aforementioned predictive factors, directing efforts towards promoting healthy habits and environments favourable to rest, especially in urban areas.