Research & Resources

This paper provides further evidence on the importance of sleep for a number of health and behavior indicators. Researchers compared U.S. high school students who slept 8 hours a night with students who slept 6 hours a night. They found that sleeping less was associated with a variety of risky behaviors, from drinking alcohol to getting in a fight or attempting suicide. They also found that 70 percent of their sample got less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep on school nights. This study, “Dose-Dependent Associations Between Sleep Duration and Unsafe Behaviors Among US High School Students,” was published in JAMA Pediatrics. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supported this research effort.