Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of sleep disorders in adolescence. To describe sleeping habits of adolescents in relation to sleep disorders and associated factors. To determine the relation between sleep disorders/inappropiate sleeping habits and school performance. DESIGN: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Secondary school of Cuenca (city in Spain). PARTICIPANTS: 1293 school children of first and fourth curses of secondary education. MAIN MEASURES: Structured questionnaire with opened and closed questions on sleeping habits during weekdays and at weekends and sleep disorders to be answered by the adolescents anonymously and on their own. Student's school performance with relation with to sleeping habits and sleep disorders were determined. RESULTS: 1155 students out of 1293 (response rate 89.33%) answered the questionnaire, 537 (45.9%) boys and 618 (54.1%) girls, 14 years old on average (between 11-18 years). On weekdays students went to bed at 23.17 h and got up at 7.46 h (average sleeping time =8 hours and 18 minutes). At weekends they went to bed at 1.02 h and got up at 10.42 h (average sleeping time =9 hours and 40 minutes). 45.4% of students said to sleep badly on Sunday night's. On average the number of subjects failed in class is higher with adolescents who complain about sleep (2.28 vs 1.91; P=.04), who are tired at waking up time (2.17 vs 1.97; P=.048) and who have morning sleepiness (2.17 vs 1.75; P=.004). CONCLUSIONS: Schools hours cause deficit sleeping time during weekdays which is partly made up for at weekend. At weekends there is an interruption of the adolescent's sleeping habits. School performance of adolescents with sleep disorders is lower.