Okay guys, let’s be real for a second: late night scrolling TikTok, cramming homework past midnight, and waking up way too early for school might be fun in the moment but science is telling us that not sleeping enough as a teenager can actually mess with our brains. And I’m not just talking about feeling tired the next day, I mean serious long-term effects on how our brains develop.
During our teenage years, our brains aren’t finished growing yet. They’re still pruning old connections and strengthening the ones we use most, especially in the parts that help with judgment, emotional control, learning, and decision-making. That means sleep isn’t just about feeling refreshed, it’s actually part of how our brains build themselves properly during this critical time.
Research has found that teens who don’t get enough sleep – like less than the recommended 8 to10 hours a night – tend to have differences in brain structure compared to those who sleep more. Specifically, lack of sleep has been linked to things like reduced gray matter volume in areas responsible for attention and emotional regulation, and changes in white matter that affect how different parts of the brain communicate.
Other studies using brain scans show that poor sleep is linked to reduced functioning in the prefrontal cortex. That is the part of the brain responsible for planning, impulse control, and decision-making, and this can also show up as more risk-taking behavior or difficulty controlling emotions.
So why is this worse for teens than adults? Our brains are still rapidly developing during adolescence, and that development depends on sleep. Adults’ brains are mostly done growing, so while sleep deprivation still affects adults negatively, it doesn’t disrupt developmental wiring the way it can in teens. This means missing sleep over and over again during adolescence may interfere with how our executive functions like planning, remembering, and emotional control are built.
Ultimately, sleep during our teenage years isn’t just about feeling energized tomorrow. It’s about protecting our brain’s ability to think, regulate emotions, and make decisions for the rest of our life. Sleep isn’t lazy. It’s brain maintenance.
Reference:
Bruce ES, Lunt L, McDonagh JE. Sleep in adolescents and young adults. Clin Med (Lond). 2017 Oct;17(5):424-428. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.17-5-424. PMID: 28974591; PMCID: PMC6301929.
