Sleep restriction perturbs homeostatic and circadian systems, leading to dose-dependent deficits to sustained attention and sleepiness. Adolescents require more sleep for optimal functioning than typically obtained.
The present study investigated adolescent video‐game use prior to bedtime and subsequent sleep, working memory and sustained attention performance. Participants were 21 healthy, good‐sleeping adolescents (16 male) aged between 15 and 20 years (M = 17.6 years, SD = 1.8). Time spent video‐gaming and subsequent sleep was measured across one night in the sleep laboratory. There were significant correlations between time spent video‐gaming and sleep and between video‐gaming and sustained attention, but not working memory. Sleep duration, in turn, had a significant negative association with sustained attention performance. Mediation analyses revealed that the relationship between video‐gaming and sustained attention was fully mediated by sleep duration. These results indicate that video‐gaming affected the ability to sustain attention only in as much as it affected sleep. In order to minimise negative consequences of video‐game playing, video‐games should be used in moderation, avoiding use close to the sleep period, to obviate detriments to sleep and performance.
Higher sleep spindle activity generally relates to better cognitive performance in adults, while studies in children often show the opposite. As children become young adults, there is rapid brain maturation and development of higher-order cognitive functions, and therefore investigations within this age group may elucidate the relationship between spindles and cognition in this developmental period. Twelve studies published between 2009 and 2016 were identified. Metaanalyses revealed a positive relationship between spindles and cognition overall (r = 0.27), however effects varied depending on cognitive domain. Moderate positive relationships were seen for fluid IQ (r = 0.44), working memory/executive function (r = 0.40) and speed/accuracy (r = 0.33), while full IQ/verbal IQ was not significantly associated (r = −0.05). Meta-regressions indicated cognitive domain and spindle characteristic had a small influence over effect sizes, while age and gender did not have a significant influence. The relationship between spindles and cognition in adolescents is likely influenced by individual neural makeup and brain maturation.Sleep spindles are bursts of synchronised oscillatory neural activity seen via electroencephalography (EEG) that occur throughout various stages of sleep and are believed to be indicators of mental efficiency (Fogel & Smith, 2011). Spindles are associated with diverse cognitive functions, including learning and memory (
Two adolescent mental health fields — sleep and depression — have advanced largely in parallel until about four years ago. Although sleep problems have been thought to be a symptom of adolescent depression, emerging evidence suggests that sleep difficulties arise before depression does. In this Review, we describe how the combination of adolescent sleep biology and psychology uniquely predispose adolescents to develop depression. We describe multiple pathways and contributors, including a delayed circadian rhythm, restricted sleep duration and greater opportunity for repetitive negative thinking while waiting for sleep. We match each contributor with evidence-based sleep interventions, including bright light therapy, exogenous melatonin and cognitive-behaviour therapy techniques. Such treatments improve sleep and alleviate depression symptoms, highlighting the utility of sleep treatment for comorbid disorders experienced by adolescents.
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