Social and Teens: Sleeping Little and Going to Bed Late Slows Brain Development

The effects of sleep habits on brain development are not temporary , but can shape the trajectories of cognitive function during adolescence . For this reason, adopting healthy sleep habits from an early age, even 'disconnecting' from social media in the evening, can promote healthy brain development and improve cognitive performance during adolescence.

Sleep is vital for brain development , especially during childhood and adolescence. A study by the University of Cambridge (UK) and Fudan University in Shanghai (China) of more than 3,200 teenagers using Fitbit wearable devices found that going to bed late and sleeping little can impact brain growth, resulting in weaker brain connectivity , smaller brain volumes and lower cognitive performance . The root of the problem is almost always poor “sleep hygiene” often characterised by a real inversion of the sleep-wake rhythm, which can be linked to hyperconnectivity : many teenagers spend time on social media in bed, affecting the duration and quality of rest.

And not only that: according to the American research center Pew Research Center, 1 in 2 teenagers is well aware that social media damages the mental health of their peers . These will be some of the topics addressed at the joint national conference of the Italian Society of Neuropsychopharmacology (SINPF) and the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry (SINPIA), entitled “Clinical psychopharmacology in the age of transition” in Cagliari.

“The aim of the conference is to stimulate the connection between specialists with different training (pharmacologists, neurologists, child neuropsychiatrists, psychiatrists, addiction doctors) in order to create a shared knowledge necessary to improve clinical intervention in a delicate and complex phase of every person's life, adolescence – say the presidents of SINPF, Matteo Balestrieri and Claudio Mencacci, and of SINPIA, Elisa Fazzi –. Epidemiological data show that the majority of chronic mental disorders have their onset precisely in this age group, often even earlier in childhood and pre-adolescence and that, by intervening early, it is possible to improve future outcomes”.

“ The study showed that adolescents who go to bed earlier and sleep longer are those who perform better cognitively ,” explains Sara Carucci, associate professor of child neuropsychiatry at the University of Cagliari, director of the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Clinic of the ASL of Cagliari. “Furthermore, brain scans showed that adolescents who stayed up late and therefore slept less had weaker connections between key brain areas. They also had smaller brain volumes, especially in areas important for memory, such as the hippocampus. All elements that can explain a low score in cognitive tests.”

An important option would be to avoid using smartphones and tablets in the evening, especially when the goal is to connect to social media. “In addition to disturbing sleep, hyperconnection linked to the use of social media has a negative impact on mental health,” emphasizes Giovanni Migliarese, psychiatrist and director of SC Salute Mentale Lomellina ASST in Pavia. “And young people themselves know this very well, so much so that a recent American study involving children aged 13 to 17 found that 48% believe that social media has a negative effect on their peers. One in 5 teenagers, however, admits that it has a negative impact on them too. So there would only be advantages in ' disconnecting' from social media, especially in the evening . Let's not forget, too,” specifies Prof. Carucci, “that poor sleep hygiene and hyperconnection are often associated with other negative lifestyles such as insufficient physical activity, poor diet and substance use, which further impact the brain's neurobiological development and create the basis for a greater predisposition to develop anxiety, depression and suicide risk. The more negative lifestyles are associated, the worse the consequences in late adolescence and adulthood.”