Adolescents with irregular sleep schedules, social jet lag, or insomnia symptoms had significantly higher odds of poorer overall health and hospitalization 7 years later, even after adjusting for baseline health status and sociodemographic factors.

The results of the longitudinal study suggest that sleep health during adolescence may have lasting effects on physical well-being, underscoring the importance of identifying and addressing sleep problems early.

“Improving youth sleep regularity and insomnia symptoms among youth may protect young adult health, well-being, and overall quality of life,” lead author Gina M. Mathew, PhD, with Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, said in a statement. 

“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep health early, as the potential effects on other aspects of health and well-being can persist into young adulthood,” she added. 

The study was presented on June 15 at SLEEP 2026.

Long-Term Health Consequences

Although inadequate sleep has been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, less is known about whether sleep health during adolescence influences physical health in young adulthood.

The study drew on data from 2011 participants (53% female) in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study who completed sleep and health assessments at ages 15 and 22. A subset of 295 participants wore wrist actigraphy at ages 15 and 22, providing objective sleep data.

The odds of an overnight hospital stay in the past 12 months at age 22 were higher for those who had specific sleep difficulties at age 15.

For example, greater social jet lag at age 15 was associated with nearly a 2.5-fold increase in the odds of an overnight hospital stay by age 22.

This is “very clinically meaningful, as it indicates that with each additional hour of social jet lag during adolescence, the odds of at least one overnight hospital stay during young adulthood are 150% greater,” Mathew told Medscape Medical News. 

In addition, greater night-to-night variability in sleep onset nearly doubled the odds of hospitalization (odds ratio, 1.95), whereas adolescents who reported difficulty falling asleep at least twice weekly had a 66% greater likelihood of an overnight hospital stay during young adulthood.

The researchers also found that later wake times during adolescence predicted lower odds of reporting very good or excellent health at age 22. 

Cross-sectionally, young adults who had lower sleep maintenance efficiency, greater variability in sleep timing and total sleep time, and more frequent difficulty falling asleep were less likely to report good health. Difficulty falling asleep was also associated with lower life satisfaction.

In the actigraphy subsample, measures of variability in sleep onset, wake time, and total sleep time were consistent and significant predictors of poorer health and well-being, whereas insomnia symptoms were consistently associated with adverse outcomes.

Sleep Is Multidimensional 

No associations were observed between sleep duration and the measures of health and well-being assessed at age 22. 

“However, numerous other studies support that sufficient sleep duration is important for optimal health and well-being, including cardiometabolic and mental health,” said Mathew.

“Sleep health is a multidimensional construct, such that sufficient duration, good quality, high regularity, satisfaction, and alertness are all important for optimal health and well-being,” she added.

The investigators cautioned that this observational study cannot establish causality. Even so, the findings reinforce the need for clinicians to routinely assess sleep habits among adolescent patients.

“Clinicians should ask their patients about their sleep to ensure they are obtaining good sleep across these multiple dimensions and provide recommendations to improve sleep, such as reducing pre-bedtime screen use and prioritizing consistent bedtimes and wake times,” Mathew said. 

Need to Increase Awareness

Commenting on the findings, Lisa L. Lewis, MS, journalist and author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen, said the study extends previous evidence linking poor sleep to long-term health outcomes.

“Although the research has long shown the link between poor sleep and longer-term health outcomes like cardiovascular disease and longevity, this study shows that the effects of poor teen sleep show up far earlier than that,” said Lewis, who was not involved in the research. 

“This study similarly underscores the importance of sleep consistency, which is often all but ignored during adolescence, as teens struggle to reduce their sleep debt by sleeping late on the weekends,” she added.

“With too many teens continuing to get by with far too little sleep, raising awareness among teens and parents remains critical,” Lewis told Medscape Medical News. 

The study received no commercial funding. Mathew and Lewis reported no relevant conflicts of interest.