--- title: This Is What Teens Do When They Don't Sleep description: Teens who don't get enough sleep each night do riskier things than their well-slept peers canonical: https://time.com/4285012/teens-sleep-deprived/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-07T21:40:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:57.202Z article:section: Health og:title: This Is What Teens Do When They Don't Sleep og:description: Teens who don't get enough sleep each night do riskier things than their well-slept peers og:url: https://time.com/4285012/teens-sleep-deprived/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt735d9e9aeb8d4496/69888e2fa988cae8786b74fd/pillow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5446 og:image:height: 3063 og:image:alt: 159991320 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is What Teens Do When They Don't Sleep twitter:description: Teens who don't get enough sleep each night do riskier things than their well-slept peers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt735d9e9aeb8d4496/69888e2fa988cae8786b74fd/pillow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Is What Teens Do When They Don't Sleep > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=84058904-8dee-4c06-9f91-41d1153f28d9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep? [Watch (HLS stream): Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/o0FTMkL0.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2015-05-15. Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep?_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 7, 2016 9:40 PM UTC  White Bed Sheets White Bed Sheets Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 7, 2016 9:40 PM UTC People just aren’t at their best when they don’t get enough sleep. (Check out [this week’s bummer finding](http://time.com/4282023/this-is-what-happens-to-your-brain-on-no-sleep/) that people with insomnia seem to have less white matter connectivity in their brains.) For developing brains, adequate sleep also appears to be critical, yet several studies have shown that[ teenagers are often sleep deprived](http://time.com/4217062/why-schools-are-struggling-to-let-students-sleep-in/). Now, a new report reveals some of the possible consequences of tiredness in young people and shows that high school students who get less than seven hours of sleep at night also report several injury-related risk behaviors. In the report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers looked at information from 50,370 high school students from grades nine to 12\. They found that teens who said they slept less than seven hours a night were more likely to also report behaviors like frequently biking without a helmet, not wearing a seatbelt, driving with a driver who had been drinking, driving and driving, and texting and driving compared to other teens in the trial who reported sleeping for nine hours a night. It’s currently recommended that adolescents between the ages 14–17 years aim for eight to 10 hours each night. “Although insufficient sleep directly contributes to injury risk, some of the increased risk associated with insufficient sleep might be caused by engaging in injury-related risk behaviors,” the study authors write. “Intervention efforts aimed at these behaviors might help reduce injuries resulting from sleepiness, as well as provide opportunities for increasing awareness of the importance of sleep.” The new report can only show an association between lack of sleep and a greater propensity toward riskier behaviors, but it’s not the first to connect lack of sleep to problems among young people. In 2014 the American Academy of Pediatrics made a [formal recommendation](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2014/08/19/peds.2014-1697.full.pdf) that school start times be delayed so teens can sleep in, due in part to the evidence that insufficient sleep contributes to behavior and academic troubles and higher obesity risk. As [TIME has previously reported](http://time.com/4217062/why-schools-are-struggling-to-let-students-sleep-in/), some school districts are following that advice and [pushing back their school start times](http://time.com/when-sleep-and-school-dont-mix/) so that teens can get more shuteye. The latest report also acknowledges that some teens need more sleep than others, and that a lack of sleep could also be a sign of something else, like a sleep disorder, too much cell phone use or even depression. To maximize quality rest, they recommend adopting habits like going to sleep and waking up at the same time, minimizing light exposure at night and keeping electronics out of the bedroom. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You're watching Everwell. Know more, live better. If I don't get at least eight hours of sleep, I'm tired, I'm crabby, I'm sluggish, I have trouble thinking clearly, making decisions. I'd say people need around, you know, eight hours of sleep and but when you're younger your just able to still function with less If you think about it, sleep is a lot like weight. There's an ideal we're all suppose to meet but few of us do. So is getting less than the recommended eight hours a night really bad for us? Well a lot less is a problem. But if you're getting a little less, there's probably no need to lose sleep over it. Routinely sleeping less than seven hours a night leads to reduced attention, concentration, and memory in most people according to research. One result is an increased risk of car accidents, but individuals vary widely in how they're effected and how much [ MUSIC ] Getting six hours of sleep, for example, can have a severe impact on some people and barely make a difference in others. Though you may think you fall in the second category, it can be hard to judge accurately for yourself. Studies amongst sleep deprived people show that they often overestimate their alertness on tasks like driving. [ NOISE ] As for the effects on our health Studies overall have linked less than six hours a night with an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and premature death. Interestingly, getting lots of z's, meaning nine or more hours a night, is also associated with these risks. But it's unclear whether sleeping that much is the cause of health problems, or just the result. There's no evidence that sleeping in on weekends is harmful, and it may help make up for lost sleep during the week, but not entirely. Your best bet is to consistently get seven or eight hours a night. If your reaction to that is, dream on Try turning off that TV and shutting down your computer a little earlier every evening. It could help make that dream of getting more sleep a reality. 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