Parents and researchers know that sleep deprivation in children and adolescents is detrimental to them and their families. A study by Berger et al (2012) which dramatically reduced sleep in 30- to 36-month-old toddlers, clearly demonstrated that sleep is a key factor in their response to the world, reducing capacity to take full advantage of positive experiences or be adaptive to challenging contexts and potentially placing them at risk for emotional and behavioural problems. Johri et al (2025) reviewed the factors and impact of sleep deprivation on adolescents and noted the attendant risks of decreased academic and social challenges, higher risk-taking behaviours, stress, suicidal ideation, and diminished physical health. The paper considers effective preventative measures including consistent bedtimes.
Routines and a Consistent Bedtime
Establishing a routine for infants is protective against later sleep difficulties but requires more than nighttime routine. Staples et al (2015) reported that consistent bedtime routine is not sufficient to promote the development of consolidation of sleep in the absence of consistent parenting practices during the day. Children studied at 30, 36 and 42 months with more regular bedtime routines and more consistent parenting slept an average of one hour longer per night than those who did not have these conditions.
What Happens to Adolescents and Young Adults?
An intense longitudinal study by Maskevich et. al. (2022) explored patterns of adolescents’ daily bedtime and risetime planning and execution, and whether these behaviours predicted sleep opportunity. Only a small proportion of adolescent participants (29.9 % on school nights, 3.5 % on non-school nights) planned bedtimes consistently, and even with plans in place these were often overrun resulting in an average bedtime delay of 46-71 minutes. Some (19.5 % on school nights, 53.2 % on non-school nights) never planned their bedtime. It seems that the habits of infancy and childhood established by parents are easily forgotten, putting these young people at risk both psychologically and academically.
From Parental to Child Responsibility
Adolescence is the life phase where the progressive handing over of responsibility and control from the parent to the young person is often most apparent and problematic. Most parents understand that managing the body through sleep, eating and cleaning must become the responsibility of the young person, yet it is painful and sometimes unwise to allow this when it is clear they are putting themselves at risk. Coupled with increasing autonomy is a greater engagement in the wider world with more demands from school, extra-curricular activities, jobs and peers and social media, putting additional strain on the young person’s ability to plan and execute a regular bedtime.
Parents can help by engaging with the young person to create and execute a practical plan that considers their sleep needs, responsibilities, and social requirements. Perhaps the most powerful support a parent can offer is to model good sleep routines and the willingness to ban devices from the bedroom for all family members. That may result in better mental health for everyone and greater capacity to weather the challenges of this life phase.
Berger, R., Miller, A., Seifer, R., Stephanie R. Cares, S. and Lebourgeois, M. Acute sleep restriction effects on emotion responses in 30- to 36-month-old children J. Sleep Res. (2012) 21, 235–246
Johri, K., Pillai, R., Kulkarni, A and Balkrishnan, R. Effects of sleep deprivation on the mental health of adolescents: a systematic review Johri et al. Sleep Science and Practice (2025) 9:9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41606-025-00127-w
Maskevich,S. Shen, L. Drummond, S.and Bei Bei What time do you plan to sleep tonight? An intense longitudinal study of adolescent daily sleep self-regulation via planning and its associations with sleep opportunity Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 63:8 (2022), pp 900–911
Staples, Angela D. ; Bates, John E. ; Petersen, Isaac T. Bedtime Routines In Early Childhood: Prevalence, Consistency, And Associations With Nighttime Sleep Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 2015-03, Vol.80 (1), p.141-159
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