What happens to the brain when you don’t get enough sleep

It turned out that teenagers who slept less and worse had disrupted communication between important parts of the brain. These areas are responsible for decision-making, self-esteem, and emotion control. The weaker this connection, the higher the risk of impulsivity, aggression, and other behavioral problems.

Interestingly, lack of sleep was more common in boys under 17 and children aged 10-13. It was among these groups that there were the most behavioral disorders in the second and third years of observation.

Sleep, according to Professor Assaf Oshri, one of the authors of the study, plays not only a restorative role. It literally helps a teenager’s brain to “mature” properly. When there is not enough sleep, development is disrupted, there are disruptions in the emotional sphere and mental health suffers.

But it’s not just about the number of hours. It is important how calmly the child falls asleep, whether he wakes up at night, how he feels in the morning. One teenager can sleep for eight hours, but not get enough sleep. And the other is to sleep a little less, but with high quality.

The main conclusion of the study is that if we want teenagers to grow up calm, balanced and confident, we should start with the simplest thing. To help them get better sleep.

Quality sleep is not a whim, but the foundation of mental and emotional health. Especially in adolescence, when the brain is actively rebuilding, and life is already full of stress.