46 Adolescent Sleep Statistics

by

These adolescent sleep figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Adolescent Sleep Statistics

The main findings are:

  • The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 8–10 hours of sleep per 24 hours for teenagers aged 13–18 on a regular basis (AASM recommendation updated 2016).
  • In 2023, 22% of male U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. male high school students).
  • The percentage of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours on an average school night fell from 32% in 2013 to 23% in 2023 (2013–2023; United States high school students).
  • Approximately 32% of adolescents in a 231-person study napped, averaging 4 naps per week (2008 study; adolescents, n=231).
  • In 2023, getting at least 8 hours of sleep was associated with lower prevalence of all measured mental-health and suicide-risk indicators in the U.S. YRBS (U.S. high school students).
  • A systematic review included 141 peer-reviewed articles covering 110 unique samples and 592,215 participants from 40 countries (literature through review search; children and youth aged 5–17 years).
  • Students whose schools delayed start times obtained approximately 43 minutes more objectively measured sleep on school nights than comparison students (two years after start-time change; delayed-start versus early-start high school cohorts).
  • Only 23% of U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night in 2023 (United States high school students).
  • In 2023, 25% of female U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. female high school students).
  • The 2015 share of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours was 27% (United States high school students).
  • Nappers in the 231-adolescent study had significantly later sleep timing than non-nappers (P<0.0001) (2008 study; adolescents, n=231).
  • The adjusted prevalence ratios associated with getting at least 8 hours ranged from 0.53 to 0.67 across the 2023 mental-health and suicide-risk indicators (U.S. high school students).
  • In Singapore, adolescents sleeping fewer than 7 hours on school nights had 2.56 times the adjusted odds of overweight versus those sleeping 8–10 hours (study measurement period; Singapore adolescents aged 13–19, n=2,346).
  • In the South Australian model, poorer sleep quality was associated with less school-night sleep at β=-0.28 (P<0.001) (2013 study; South Australian adolescents).
  • The 2023 U.S. high-school survey therefore classified 77% as getting fewer than 8 hours on an average school night (United States high school students).

Contents

Consensus recommendation, not a prevalence estimate.

Self-reported average school-night sleep; >=8 hours is a surveillance threshold, not the full 8–10-hour recommendation.

Complement of the reported 23%; applies only to the survey threshold and population.

Weighted but unadjusted estimate; weekday nights were Sunday–Thursday.

Includes naps; weighted but unadjusted.

Weekend nights were Friday and Saturday; weighted but unadjusted.

Adolescent sleep data by sex, race, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ identity

  • In 2023, 22% of male U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. male high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 25% of female U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. female high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 19% of Asian U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. Asian high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 19% of Black U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. Black high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 24% of Hispanic U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. Hispanic high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 36% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 26% of White U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. White high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 17% of multiracial U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. multiracial high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 25% of cisgender heterosexual U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. cisgender heterosexual high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • In 2023, 16% of LGBTQ+ U.S. high school students reported at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night (U.S. LGBTQ+ high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)

Self-reported school-night sleep.

Self-reported; CDC racial/ethnic category.

Self-reported; estimate may be less stable for smaller subgroup.

Self-reported identity and sleep measures.

Self-reported identity and sleep measures; CDC subgroup definition.

  • The percentage of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours on an average school night fell from 32% in 2013 to 23% in 2023 (2013–2023; United States high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The 2015 share of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours was 27% (United States high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The 2017 share of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours was 25% (United States high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The 2019 share of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours was 22% (United States high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The 2021 share of U.S. high school students getting at least 8 hours was 23% (United States high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The percentage getting at least 8 hours did not change from 2021 to 2023 for female students (2021–2023; U.S. female high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The percentage getting at least 8 hours did not change from 2021 to 2023 for male students (2021–2023; U.S. male high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The percentage getting at least 8 hours decreased from 2013 to 2023 for most racial and ethnic groups in the CDC analysis (2013–2023; U.S. high school students by race/ethnicity). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The percentage of Asian students getting at least 8 hours did not change from 2013 to 2023 (2013–2023; U.S. Asian high school students). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)
  • The percentage getting at least 8 hours did not change from 2021 to 2023 for any racial or ethnic group in the CDC report (2021–2023; U.S. high school students by race/ethnicity). (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data…)

CDC trend analysis of repeated cross-sectional surveys; self-reported sleep.

Self-reported average school-night sleep.

CDC reports no significant change; not a quantified prevalence change.

CDC summary says most groups; it is not a single pooled percentage.

CDC trend statement; self-reported sleep.

CDC reports no significant subgroup changes.

School-night, weekend and nap patterns in adolescent sleep research

Older peer-reviewed study; questionnaire-based behavior.

Association in a small observational study; does not establish causation.

Within-study comparison; sleep was questionnaire-based.

Evidence-review count, not an adolescent prevalence statistic.

Adolescent sleep statistics linked with mental health and suicide-risk indicators

  • In 2023, getting at least 8 hours of sleep was associated with lower prevalence of all measured mental-health and suicide-risk indicators in the U.S. YRBS (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • The adjusted prevalence ratios associated with getting at least 8 hours ranged from 0.53 to 0.67 across the 2023 mental-health and suicide-risk indicators (U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • Nearly one in three U.S. high school students reported poor mental health most of the time or always during the prior 30 days in 2023. (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • More than one in three U.S. high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness for at least 2 weeks during the prior year in 2023. (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)
  • In the CDC analysis, adequate sleep was defined as at least 8 hours on an average school night, while insufficient sleep was fewer than 8 hours (2023; U.S. high school students). (Mental Health and Suicide Risk…)

Cross-sectional adjusted associations; cannot prove sleep caused the lower prevalence.

Range spans multiple outcomes; each outcome has its own estimate.

CDC wording is approximate; poor mental health was self-reported.

CDC wording is approximate; past-year self-report.

Definition is for the YRBS analysis and differs from the AASM 8–10-hour recommendation.

Sleep duration, insomnia and adolescent academic or health outcomes

  • A systematic review included 141 peer-reviewed articles covering 110 unique samples and 592,215 participants from 40 countries (literature through review search; children and youth aged 5–17 years). (Systematic review of the relationships…)
  • In Singapore, adolescents sleeping fewer than 7 hours on school nights had 2.56 times the adjusted odds of overweight versus those sleeping 8–10 hours (study measurement period; Singapore adolescents aged 13–19, n=2,346). (Associations of sleep duration on…)
  • In the Singapore study, short school-night sleep was associated with adjusted odds ratios from 2.10 to 4.33 for the listed depression symptoms versus 8–10 hours (study measurement period; Singapore adolescents aged 13–19, n=2,346). (Associations of sleep duration on…)
  • In that study, evening chronotype was associated with poorer sleep quality at β=0.50 (P<0.001) (2013 study; South Australian adolescents). (The impact of sleep on…)
  • Evening chronotype was associated with diminished alertness at β=0.59 (P<0.001) in the South Australian adolescent model (2013 study; South Australian adolescents). (The impact of sleep on…)
  • Poorer sleep quality was associated with more depressed mood at β=0.47 (P<0.001) in the South Australian study (2013 study; South Australian adolescents). (The impact of sleep on…)
  • The insomnia review reports a 10.7% lifetime prevalence and 9.4% current prevalence under DSM-IV in a U.S. sample of 13–16-year-olds (reviewed U.S. study; U.S. adolescents aged 13–16). (Insomnia disorder in adolescence: diagnosis,…)
  • Across other adolescent studies, reported insomnia prevalence ranged from 4% to 39% (review evidence; adolescent populations across studies). (Insomnia disorder in adolescence: diagnosis,…)

Review population includes children as well as adolescents; not a single cohort prevalence.

Cross-sectional association; overweight used International Obesity Task Force criteria.

Range covers separate symptoms; cross-sectional and symptom-based, not a diagnosis.

Model association, not causal effect.

Model association; mood was not a clinical diagnosis.

DSM-IV estimates from one sample; diagnostic criteria and assessment method affect prevalence.

Wide range reflects differing criteria, instruments, timing and populations; not a pooled estimate.

What school-start-time and sleep-extension studies show about adolescent sleep

  • Students whose schools delayed start times obtained approximately 43 minutes more objectively measured sleep on school nights than comparison students (two years after start-time change; delayed-start versus early-start high school cohorts). (Association of Delaying School Start…)
  • In the South Australian model, poorer sleep quality was associated with less school-night sleep at β=-0.28 (P<0.001) (2013 study; South Australian adolescents). (The impact of sleep on…)

Nonrandomized cohort comparison; objectively measured sleep, but causal inference remains limited.

Model association, not causal effect.

Table of contents