Mass General Brigham study also finds link to violent behaviors such as carrying a weapon, highlighting the vicious cycle between lack of sleep and violence
New research led by Mass General Brigham researchers reveals an association between insufficient sleep and the witnessing of neighborhood violence by adolescents. Based on nationwide survey data from more than 40,000 teenagers, the study also showed that individuals who slept less than the recommended 8-10 hours per night were more likely to engage in violent behaviors, such as carrying weapons or fighting. Results are published in SLEEP.
“This is one of the first studies to connect community violence with how much teenagers actually sleep,” said first author Cornelia Griggs, MD, a pediatric surgeon and critical care specialist in the Mass General Brigham Department of Surgery. “It’s a reminder that sleep isn’t just an individual health habit, it’s also shaped by the safety and stability of the communities our kids live in.”
To identify links between violence and sleep, the researchers analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 2019, 2021 and 2023. In the survey, respondents were asked questions, including how many hours of sleep they get on an average school night, whether they have ever witnessed violence in their neighborhood, and whether they have carried weapons or been in a physical fight in the past 30 days.
Altogether, the researchers analyzed surveys from 44,161 young adults aged 14-19 years old. More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) reported getting insufficient sleep on an average school night (defined as less than eight hours for older children and adolescents), and 10% reported getting four hours of sleep or less.
Individuals who reported getting insufficient sleep were more likely to report having witnessed someone getting physically attacked, beaten, stabbed, or shot in their neighborhood, and this association became stronger with each additional hour of sleep lost. For individuals who slept four hours or less, the odds of having been exposed to violence increased nearly threefold.
Getting insufficient sleep was also strongly linked to higher odds of violent behaviors such as carrying a weapon, getting into physical fights, being threatened or injured at school, and skipping school due to feeling unsafe. Similarly, each of these associations was strongest for individuals who reported the least amount of sleep (four hours or less).
“This study sheds light on how insufficient sleep can contribute to cycles of violence,” said senior author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, a sleep researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. “Future efforts should include advocacy around noise reduction and reducing nighttime violence, which could promote healthier sleep habits in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.”
Surprisingly, the 1.6% of respondents who reported getting more than the recommended amount of sleep — defined as 10 hours or more — also had increased odds of both having witnessed violence and of engaging in violent behaviors.
“One possible explanation for this association is that adolescents with longer sleep duration may be experiencing underlying conditions such as depression, anxiety, or sleep disorders,” said Robbins. “More sleep isn’t always better.”
The researchers plan to conduct further research to understand how gun violence impacts sleep in young people and how insufficient sleep is linked to violent behavior. They’re also working with communities to promote healthy sleep and to support people impacted by gun violence.
Authorship: In addition to Robbins, Mass General Brigham authors include Cornelia L. Griggs, Peter T. Masiakos, and Chana A. Sacks. Additional authors include Reagan A. Collins and Josélio R. de Oliveira Filho.
Disclosures: Robbins reports consulting income from Hilton Hotels, byNacht GmbH, Savoir Beds Ltd., Ouraring Ltd., and Sonesta Hotels International. Robbins is on the Medical Advisory Board to Oura Ring, Somnum Pharmaceuticals, and Equinox Fitness Clubs. Robbins has received research funding from Lusome, Google, and Oura Ring.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Paper cited: Griggs, C et al. “The relationship between insufficient sleep, exposure to violence, and violent behaviors in adolescents” SLEEP DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaf283
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About Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic health care system, uniting great minds to solve the hardest problems in medicine for our communities and the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a nonprofit organization committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations with several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals. For more information, please visit massgeneralbrigham.org.
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
The relationship between insufficient sleep, exposure to violence, and violent behaviors in adolescents
COI Statement
Robbins reports consulting income from Hilton Hotels, byNacht GmbH, Savoir Beds Ltd., Ouraring Ltd., and Sonesta Hotels International. Robbins is on the Medical Advisory Board to Oura Ring, Somnum Pharmaceuticals, and Equinox Fitness Clubs. Robbins has received research funding from Lusome, Google, and Oura Ring.
Study puts youth bedtime routines under spotlight
University of Otago
Sleep guidelines suggest no screens, no exercise, and no food in the hour before bed, but do they work and how many young people follow them?
A University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka study explored if youth adhere to the current pre-bed recommendations and how that impacts their sleep.
Lead author Chao Gu, PhD candidate in the Department of Medicine, says there were two key questions they wanted to answer.
“Are the recommendations backed up by good evidence? And are the recommendations practical in reality?
“Youth and families are often told not to use screens, not to exercise, and not to eat in the hour before bed to ensure a good night’s sleep. However, the evidence does not necessarily show that limiting these pre-bed behaviours helps with sleep. In reality, we also do not know how many youths are actually following these recommendations,” she says.
The study, published in Pediatrics Open Science, used body cameras and detailed food records to look at what young people did in the hour before bedtime in their typical daily life, and how these sleep hygiene behaviours influenced their sleep that night.
Ninety-nine per cent of participants used screens and 63 per cent ate before bed. Only 22 per cent of them exercised before bed.
“Not many teenagers followed current sleep guidelines, but those who did experienced little difference in their sleep.
“It is very common for youth to use screens, quite common for them to have some food, but less common for them to be very physically active in the hour before bed.”
Ms Gu believes the results highlight the need for further research on the topic, and a possible revisit of the current recommendations.
“Sleep is incredibly important for teenagers to enable them to develop and function at their best, but so few studies have looked at pre-bed behaviour and how it can impact rest using objective measures such as cameras.”
The researchers are currently undertaking a study of 10–15-year-olds which they hope will provide robust and directional evidence for such revisions and help improve bedtime guidance for families.
Journal
Pediatrics Open Science
Article Title
Pre-Bed Screen Use, Activity and Food in Relation to Sleep in Youth; A Repeated Measures Study
