US teens getting less sleep than ever, new report finds

By Marina Dunbar

A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health shows that today’s

teenagers are sleeping less than ever before. The findings showed a consistent decline in sleep

across every age category. The latest figures revealed record-low sleep levels for all groups, with

only 22% of older adolescents saying they slept at least seven hours each night.

“Some barriers to sleep faced by teens have existed across generations, such as the

increased homework and extracurricular demands that come with high school, social pressures

to stay up late with peers, and jobs,” said Rachel Widome, lead author on the study.

The greatest impact was seen among older adolescents. Sleep time steadily declines as

teens age, while both sleep duration and feelings of getting enough rest drop significantly from

early adolescence to later teen years.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from Monitoring the Future, a long-running

national survey representing more than 400,000 US students in grades eight, ten and twelve

from 1991 through 2023. Participants responded to two primary questions: how often they slept

at least seven hours per night and how often they believed they were getting enough rest.

Insufficient sleep contributes ____ everyday exhaustion and inhibited functioning, while

also being linked ____ longer-term issues such as mental health problems, struggles in school

and chronic illnesses later in adulthood.

While surging screen time may seem like the obvious culprit, the root cause may

point ____ deeper feelings of social isolation and burnout. Recent high school student-led

research showed that roughly two-thirds of California teens reported experiencing burnout and

anxiety. The same research suggested that around a quarter of students believe they only have

enough time to meet basic needs, such as sleep, eating and hygiene, two days a week or less.

Jolie Delja, executive director of Aim Youth Mental Health, said that the respondents

and the chance to learn and practice coping skills like breathing and mindfulness during calm

“connected this directly ____ relentless academic pressure.” “They asked for time to slow down,

and coping tools that already help them manage stress, including getting more sleep.”

moments, not just crisis ones,” Delja said. “Schools and communities do not need to invent

entirely new solutions. They need to give students more time and space for the people, activities

Studies have also shown that teens who go to bed earlier and sleep for longer than their

peers tend to have sharper mental skills and score better on cognitive tests.

Although researchers say there is no single nationwide fix, they point to broader structural

approaches that could help large groups of adolescents. One approach that the researchers

suggest is to delay high school start times to 8.30 am or later. “Earlier starts are in direct conflict

with preset rhythms of adolescent circadian biology,” Widome said.

“A nation of sleep-deprived adolescents is not inevitable,” she added. “We should embrace

a culture of sleep, where sleep is actually valued and where we commit to enacting policies and

other interventions that promote healthy sleep for everyone.”

(Available at: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/15/teens-get-less-sleep-study – text specially adapted for this test).