Deon, a high school sophomore, sometimes struggles to stay awake during class. Yet he is wide awake at night as the rest of his family is getting ready for bed. Describe the biological, behavioral, and social or experiential factors involved in the sleep-wake shift for adolescents like Deon.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Biological: There is a slight shift during puberty in the circadian timing system that results in greater evening wakefulness and lower sensitivity to morning light, which leads to shorter amounts of sleep. Also, the homeostatic drive for sleep shifts so that teens do not accumulate sleep pressure as rapidly as younger children, and it dissipates more slowly during sleep, leading them to go to bed later and sleep longer.
2. Behavioral: Teens have more independence than children and engage in activities that keep them awake at night, such as homework, socializing, and using electronic devices.
3. Social-experiential: School start times typically move earlier in high school than in middle school to accommodate sports teams and after-school jobs, which makes the problem worse, as the sleep-wake shift leads to teens needing more sleep in the morning, not less.