Overview
- Sleep specialist Nuria Roure says being awake for more than 20 hours leaves attention and concentration at levels comparable to having about six beers, raising risks of errors and accidents.
- Adolescents need roughly nine hours of nightly rest, yet many fall short due to early class times and late device use, with sleep societies noting broad impacts on brain, heart, metabolism and immunity.
- Regional reporting in Spain estimates about 60% of students in the Basque Country arrive at school sleep‑deprived, and each hour on phones, TVs or computers costs roughly 16 minutes of sleep, according to Carlos Egea.
- Health and education groups in October outlined measures such as later school schedules, more daily exercise and greater daylight exposure to improve student sleep and learning.
- Recent research adds biological context: a PNAS study identified an hSIK3‑N783Y mutation tied to natural short sleep, while The Lancet eBioMedicine linked metabolites to excessive daytime sleepiness, supporting advice for lighter lunches and brief 10–20 minute naps.