Adolescents have unique sleep behaviors related to physiological and developmental
differences. Research suggests that sleep debt related to these adolescent
differences contributes to risk for accidents, behavioral changes, and other
health concerns. In addition, the impact of pain related to trauma, surgery, and
chronic illness can further alter the sleep patterns of this age group. Limited normative
parameters describe the sleep of healthy adolescents. A comparative
study of 26 adolescents from 12 through 18 years of age was designed to
describe the sleep patterns of two groups of adolescents. Sleep parameters,
including actual sleep time, sleep efficiency, nighttime awakenings, and other
sleep patterns of adolescents following post-operative tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy
(T & A), were compared with an age and gender-matched sample of
healthy adolescents. All adolescents wore wrist-actigraphy and documented
sleep information in a diary for three continuous days. Healthy adolescents had
significantly less (p = 0.003) actual hours of night time sleep and significantly less
(p = 0.039) sleep efficiency than adolescents in the post-operative sample during
the three days. None of the adolescents in this study had sufficient actual
hours of nighttime sleep. Findings support the need for nurses to assess adolescent
sleep patterns and to educate teens and their families about the importance
of adequate sleep. Further research is needed to establish sleep interventions
that will improve the sleep hygiene of both healthy adolescents and those who
experience sleep disruption due to painful conditions.