If you only had 6.5 h to sleep a day, would you be better off taking it all at night or sleeping 5 h at night and taking a 1.5 h nap in the afternoon? We found that under conditions of limited sleep availability, divergent negative outcomes with respect to neurobehavioral and glucose responses arise depending on whether the same amount of sleep is split or consolidated across the night. Neither sleep restriction schedule is without compromise when compared to 9 h of sleep at night. Despite 6.5 h being the average self- reported TIB in the age group studied, adolescents do not appear to be able to sustain this without adverse consequences.

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Publications:

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Differential effects of split and continuous sleep on neurobehavioral function and glucose tolerance in sleep-restricted adolescents

 

Sleep improves memory for the content but not execution of intentions in adolescents

 

A split-sleep schedule rescues short-term topographical memory after multiple nights of sleep restriction

 

Does splitting sleep improve long-term memory in chronically sleep deprived adolescents?

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Cortical thinning and sleep slow wave activity reductions mediate age-related improvements in cognition during mid-late adolescence

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Behind the paper: Can naps make up for lost sleep in adolescent learners?

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In the news: Sleep-deprived teens who take afternoon naps more alert, but potentially have higher risk of diabetes