0858 Teenage Girls Report Higher Impact Of Sleepiness During School And Personal Activities Than Teenage Boys. (27th April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gaudreault, P; Michaud, F; Green-Demers, I; Forest, G
• Is Part Of: Sleep. Volume 41(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: A318
• Page End: A318
• Publication Date: 2018-04-27
• Subjects: Sleep -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sleep disorders -- Periodicals; Sommeil -- Aspect physiologique -- Périodiques; Sommeil, Troubles du -- Périodiques; Sleep disorders; Sleep -- Physiological aspects; Sleep -- physiological aspects; Sleep Wake Disorders; Psychophysiology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 616.8498
• DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsy061.857
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0161-8105

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Researchers have shown that during adolescence, sleep goes through modifications, such as a delay in the sleep-wake patterns. This comes into conflict with the fixed schedules imposed by social and school demands and therefore has an influence on teenagers' sleepiness and daytime functioning. Whether boys and girls report similar negative impact of sleep disturbances on their daytime functioning is examined in the present study. Methods: 731 adolescents (311 boys; 420 girls; 13–17, 5y; grade 9–11) completed a questionnaire among which were questions on sleep and daytime functioning: 1) difficulties staying awake during class in the morning, (2) during class in the afternoon, and (3) after class while doing their homework; (4) being too tired to do activities with their friends, (5) missing school because of being too tired; (6) falling asleep during class; (7) feeling less motivated in school because of their poor sleep; (8) consuming coffee or energy drinks to compensate for their daytime sleepiness; and (9) taking naps during weekends. Items were answered on a 7 point Likert scale (1=never; 7=often). Gender differences were assessed using t-tests. Results: Teenage girls reported more difficulties staying awake during class in the morning (t(723)=-3.95, p<.001), during class in the afternoon (t(720)=-3.98, p<.001), and during homework (t(720)=-4.11, p<.001) than boys. They also reported feeling too tired to do activities with their friends (t(721)=-3.40, p=.001), missing school because of being too tired (t(719.18)=-4.10, p<.001), feeling less motivated in school because of their poor sleep (t(695.93)=-4.20, p<.001), and taking naps during weekends (t(698.36)=-3.41, p=.001) more often than boys. However, there was no gender difference when it comes to using coffee or energy drinks to compensate for daytime sleepiness (t(715)=-.53; p=.60) or for falling asleep in class (t(722)=-.77; p=.44). Conclusion: Overall, our results show that girls reported a higher degree of interference of daytime sleepiness on multiple aspects of their school and personal activities than boys. This suggests that teenage girls may be more vulnerable to the negative impacts of sleep changes during adolescence than teenage boys. Support (If Any): NA