– I was often up late at weekends. It made it difficult for me to keep a good circadian rhythm. Early mornings meant that Ole Åsgård several times fell asleep in class when he was in upper secondary school. Fortunately, his sleep problems did not affect his schooling. Today he is 21 years old and studies geophysics at the University of Bergen. But he still struggles with sleep. Ole has difficulty falling asleep in the evening, which meant that he showed up very tired for the first lessons at school. Photo: Private – I struggle to sleep at night. I don’t get really tired, so it can take a long time, he says. One in five drop out A new study from the University of Bergen, the Institute of Public Health (FHI) and Norce shows that less sleep contributes to more young people dropping out of upper secondary school. The research shows that the dropout from upper secondary school among young people without sleep problems is 14.3 per cent, while it is 20.6 per cent for young people with insomnia, and 21 per cent for those with a so-called delayed falling asleep and waking phase. In other words, one in five pupils with sleep difficulties drop out of upper secondary school. The study was conducted on 8,828 young people between the ages of 16 and 19. This is the first time researchers have looked at the connection between sleep and school dropout. Using the mobile phone as a distraction One of the people behind the study is professor of social psychology at UiB and psychologist specialist Mari Hysing. – We were a little surprised by the result, and that the sleep problems actually had such a serious outcome, that students did not finish school, she says. There are several reasons why young people struggle with sleep today. Hysing explains that the changes that occur in the body can make it difficult for young people to fall asleep at night. Psychologist Mari Hysing says they had a suspicion that sleep and school dropout could be related. Now they have researched the topic. Photo: Oda Flaten Lødemel / news But mobile phones can also be to blame for sleep difficulties. – There is a great deal that steals the attention, and which makes it more difficult to disconnect in the digital world, says Hysing. But it is not necessarily just addiction that causes mobile time to be prioritized over sleep. Mobile phone use can affect sleep over time, but many people use it to distract themselves from worrying thoughts. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad – Many of those who start to develop sleep difficulties like to lie down and worry in the evening. Then they pick up their mobile phone as a distraction, says the psychologist. Although many people use the mobile phone as an aid, the sum of the use can help to affect sleep over time, she says. Schools not very sleep-friendly Hysing also believes that society is not prepared for young people who struggle with sleep. – School starts early, and here in Vestland there are many who have a long journey to upper secondary school, she says. When many young people also have activities late at night, it can affect sleep. – The sum of this does not add up to many, she says. Hysing believes that schools today are not sleep-friendly. Photo: Oda Flaten Lødemel / news Hysing believes that a more sleep-friendly school can be part of the solution to the problem, in addition to preventive measures and support from parents. – But for some, these measures will not be enough. Then good and effective treatment from the healthcare system is needed, says Hysing Wants to start later Student Åsgård also wants a more sleep-friendly school. – It would have been nice if there were some better offers that meant I didn’t have to start school so far too early. He nevertheless understands that it can be difficult for the school to adapt to students with sleep difficulties. The student has not yet found a solution to his sleep problems. – I don’t think it’s possible to get rid of it, unfortunately. In the meantime, Hysing has some tips for fixing the circadian rhythm before the school day starts again: – You cannot turn the clock back by more than about 15 minutes each day, so start well in advance. The parents must help motivate, because it is not an easy job.
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Less sleep contributes to young people not finishing upper secondary school – news Vestland
