With summer break and longer days ahead, parents of young teens may be wondering whether to let good sleep habits slide over the next couple of months.
With summer break and longer days ahead, parents of young teens may be wondering whether to let good sleep habits slide over the next couple of months. New research in Preventive Medicine by UBC’s Annalijn Conklin, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and scientist with the Centre for Health Evaluations and Outcome Sciences, suggests there are more benefits to a good night’s sleep than simply feeling refreshed.
As she explains, she found that chronic, low-quality sleep was associated with poorer health outcomes among young B.C. students aged 13 to 17.
Why were you interested in looking at sleep in young people?
The public health discourse on healthy lifestyles has largely been focused on nutrition and physical activity, and I felt that there must be more to the story. Sleep is so fundamental to our health: it’s a biological need that drives our circadian rhythm, affects our metabolism and influences many of our behaviours like eating and exercise. If we don’t integrate it into our discussions on public health, I feel we’re missing a large part of the story.
Read more at: University of British Columbia
UBC professor Annalijn Conklin (Credit: University of British Columbia)
