Study: Teen Executive Function Impaired by Poor Sleep Hygiene, Social Media Usage
A strong correlation exists between greater social media use, shorter sleep duration, and lower activity in the inferior and middle frontal gyrus brain regions in adolescents ages 10 to 14, according to new research.
July 16, 2024
Heavy social media use and poor sleep quality can alter brain activity related to executive function and reward processing in adolescents, suggest findings from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) presented last month at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting.
The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between greater social media use, shorter sleep duration, and lower activity in the inferior and middle frontal gyrus regions in the prefrontal cortex of adolescents ages 10 to 14. The inferior frontal gyrus brain region influences inhibitory control; weakness in this region may impact how teens assess and respond to social media’s rewarding stimuli. The middle frontal gyrus region is tied to executive function and decision-making, impacting how teens balance the immediate dopamine hits of social media with other priorities, like sleep. AASM researchers analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study of 6,516 adolescents for the study.
Prior research established a link between poor sleep hygiene and social media engagement. A 2022 survey from the AASM found that 93% of Gen Z members (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) have lost sleep by staying up “past their bedtime” to view or participate in social media.
Poor sleep quality due to excessive screen time is especially concerning for adolescents with ADHD since they spend more time on digital media and have more severe symptoms of problematic internet use compared to youth without ADHD.1
“Among teens, high-frequency use of multiple forms of modern digital media (texting, visiting social media platforms, streaming videos, etc.) is associated with increased odds of ADHD symptom occurrence,” said Jeremy Edge, LPC, IGDC, during the ADDitude webinar “Addictive Technology and Its Impact on Teen Brains.”2
Poor Sleep Hygiene May Lead to Cannabis Use in Teens with ADHD
Some teens and young adults with ADHD use cannabis as a sleep aid, despite research showing that neurodivergent teens face an outsized risk for developing cannabis use disorder.3
“Cannabis is an unsurprising motivator given the extraordinarily high prevalence of sleep problems and disturbances associated with ADHD, from sleep apnea and insomnia to delayed sleep phase disorder and more,” Mariely Hernandez, Ph.D., explained during the ADDitude webinar “How Cannabis Use Affects ADHD Symptoms and Sleep in Adolescents.” 4
“In the short term, cannabis can help with sleep,” Hernandez continued. “But frequent cannabis use builds up tolerance; more and more of it is required to exert the same effect on sleep. Ultimately, chronic cannabis use only worsens sleep and feeds a vicious cycle. 5 Poor sleep increases cravings for cannabis and dampens the cognitive resources that allow an individual to resist cravings, make better choices, and curb impulsivity.”6
Sleep Hygiene Tips for ADHD Teens
Sleep interventions may help teens with ADHD improve their sleep quality and maintain a healthy relationship with social media. The AASM recommends that adolescents do the following:
- Get 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night.
- Disconnect from devices at night. Turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Follow a relaxing nighttime routine. Take a warm bath or shower, read, or journal to help wind down.
- Leave phones in another room. Remove the temptation to get on the phone by keeping it in a separate room at night. If phones are used as a morning alarm, consider using an alarm clock instead.
- Turn off push notifications. If phones must be in bedrooms at night, turn off push notifications and sound to avoid phone usage.
- Set time limits on social media. Many phones and apps allow users to activate limits that notify them when they have reached their designated time amount on a site.
- Have a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time. Don’t let scrolling stop you from getting precious hours of sleep.
View Article Sources
1 Werling, A. M., Kuzhippallil, S., Emery, S., Walitza, S., & Drechsler, R. (2022). Problematic Use of Digital Media in Children and Adolescents with a Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Compared to Controls. A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 11(2), 305–325. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2022.00007
2 Ra, C. K., Cho, J., Stone, M. D., De La Cerda, J., Goldenson, N. I., Moroney, E., Tung, I., Lee, S. S., & Leventhal, A. M. (2018). Association of Digital Media Use With Subsequent Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adolescents. JAMA, 320(3), 255–263. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.8931
3 Zaman, T., Malowney, M., Knight, J., & Boyd, J. W. (2015). Co-Occurrence of Substance-Related and Other Mental Health Disorders Among Adolescent Cannabis Users. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 9(4), 317–321. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000138
4 Hernandez, M., & Levin, F. R. (2022). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Therapeutic Cannabis Use Motives.The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 45(3), 503–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2022.05.010
5 Kaul, M., Zee, P. C., & Sahni, A. S. (2021). Effects of Cannabinoids on Sleep and their Therapeutic Potential for Sleep Disorders. Neurotherapeutics: The Journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 18(1), 217–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-021-01013-w
6 Graupensperger, S., Fairlie, A. M., Ramirez, J. J., Calhoun, B. H., Patrick, M. E., & Lee, C. M. (2022). Daily-Level Associations Between Sleep Duration and Next-Day Alcohol and Cannabis Craving and Use in Young Sdults. Addictive Behaviors, 132, 107367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107367
