Mapping Out Canadian Adolescent Sleep Patterns: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Adolescence represents a period of marked vulnerability for sleep difficulties because of maturations in sleep systems that push towards more sleep opportunity and psychosocial factors (e.g., early school start times) that limit sleep. Adolescents are a unique population that has been understudied in terms of empirical rigour and would benefit from a comprehensive investigation of sleep patterns using a mixed-methods approach. We conducted a community-based participatory research study (student n = 369, school n = 6) in private high schools using a combination of quantitative and qualitative survey questions. Descriptive and between-group analyses were conducted to understand adolescent sleep patterns and how sleep patterns differed between age groups. Qualitative survey data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Nearly half of the students did not meet the recommended sleep duration. There was also significant weekly variability in bed and rise times, contributing to jet lag symptoms. Older students preferred to go to bed and get out of bed later compared to their younger counterparts. Qualitative analyses dovetailed with these findings in addition to identifying daytime fatigue as an important challenge. However, many students also reported a pattern of positive sleep health. Results demonstrated that private high school students experience significant sleep disruptions consistent with the broader literature though there was less evidence of excessive sleepiness. Possible policy recommendations and interventions include staggered school start times and evidence-informed intervention strategies that do not require significant health care resources and are enjoyable to use for adolescents to support engagement.