Tired teens: The most popular kids at school get the least sleep, especially if they’re girls, research shows

Most teens already have trouble getting enough sleep.

Now experts have discovered that the most popular children get the least – especially girls.

A team from Orebro University in Sweden asked 1,300 teenagers to report how much sleep they got each night.

They were also asked to nominate up to three friends and those who received the most nominations were defined as more popular.

Analysis showed that popular teens slept less than their peers, losing up to 27 minutes of sleep per night.

When the researchers looked at boys and girls separately, they discovered that popular girls in particular more often had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early.

Popular boys did not experience these symptoms to the same extent.

The researchers said the fact that boys and girls have different friendships could go some way to explaining the difference.

First author Dr. Serena Bauducco said: ‘Girls express more care and concern towards their friends and engage in helping behavior more than boys.

“This may mean they carry these worries with them when it’s time to fall asleep.”

Overall, the researchers said that being popular may require more time to spend with friends, which could result in less time for sleep.

More emotional investments can also lead to sleep problems.

While some might expect phone and social media use to be behind the link, the team said they don’t believe this is the case (stock image)

While some might expect phone and social media use to be behind the link, the team said they don’t believe this is the case.

That’s because previous studies have shown a link between popularity and poorer sleep even before the development of smartphones, they say.

“Teenagers may be the most sleep-deprived population over their lifetime,” Dr. Bauducco added.

‘Previous studies show that an extra 30 minutes of sleep can lead to better mental health and better school performance.’

With school days starting early, many teens try to catch up on sleep on weekends, but researchers warned this could backfire.

“Say a teenager sleeps in until 1 p.m. on a Sunday,” Dr. Bauducco said. ‘Falling asleep that night to be ready for school the next day will be a challenge because they won’t feel tired.

‘Delaying wake-up times too much can contribute to perpetuating the problem of sleep debt that arises during the week.’

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Sleep, the team believes that discussing social norms around sleep and friends’ expectations around bedtime is a missing component of existing sleep interventions for teens.