Self-Regulation and Sleep Duration, Sleepiness, and Chronotype in Adolescents

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether shorter school-night sleep duration, greater daytime sleepiness, and greater eveningness chronotype were associated with lower self-regulation among adolescents.

METHODS:

An online survey of 7th- to 12th-grade students in 19 schools in Fairfax County, Virginia Public Schools was conducted in 2015. Self-regulation was measured with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, 2nd edition, Screening Self-Report Form. Sleep measures included school night-sleep duration (hours between usual bedtime and wake time), daytime sleepiness (Sleepiness Scale in the Sleep Habits Survey, tertiles), and chronotype (Morningness–Eveningness Scale for Children, continuous score and tertiles). Sociodemographic factors and mental health conditions were analyzed as potential confounders.

RESULTS:

Among 2017 students surveyed, the mean age was 15.0 years (range, 12.1–18.9 years), and 21.7% slept <7 hours on school nights. In regression models adjusted for confounders, there was a significant independent association between self-regulation and both chronotype (P < .001) and daytime sleepiness (P < .001) but not sleep duration (P = .80). Compared with those in the lowest tertile of daytime sleepiness, those in the highest tertile had lower (0.59 SD units; 95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.71) self-regulation, as did those in the eveningness tertile of chronotype compared with those in the morningness tertile (0.35 SD units lower; 95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.46).

CONCLUSIONS:

Among adolescents, greater daytime sleepiness and greater eveningness chronotype were independently associated with lower self-regulation, but shorter sleep duration was not. Aspects of sleep other than school-night sleep duration appear to be more strongly associated with self-regulation.