0948 Sleep Health and Difficulty Concentrating Among US Teens – Data from the National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America® Poll

Abstract Introduction Many young adults experience cognitive dysfunction like difficulty concentrating, which can affect academic performance, daily functioning, and emotional wellbeing. It is unclear which specific aspects of sleep are most strongly correlated with concentration problems. Prior studies have focused on total sleep duration, even though healthy sleep has a much wider range of experiences and behaviors. Methods Data were collected from the National Sleep Foundation Sleep In America Poll. The population-based sample included N=1,097 13–17-year-old adolescents who provided complete data. Difficulty concentrating was assessed based on survey items asking how often in the past 2 weeks respondents were bothered by “Trouble concentrating on things like schoolwork, reading, or watching TV.” Responses were categorized as None, Sometimes (less than half the days), or Often (more than half the days). Regression analyses adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomics. Holm-Bonferroni correction was used, with a revised cutoff of p< 0.0005. Results Weighted prevalence of difficulty concentrating was None (54.37%), Sometimes (34.31%), and Often (11.32%). Following Holm-Bonferroni correction, difficulty concentrating Often was associated with being somewhat (RRR=7.83) or very (RRR=17.92) dissatisfied with sleep, “not refreshed at all” (RRR=23.05), “not energized at all” (RRR=59.80), “a great deal” of difficulty falling asleep (RRR=8.27), frequent awakenings “very often” (RRR=30.64), “somewhat difficult“ resuming sleep (RRR=4.48), very dissatisfied with weekday (RRR=12.06) and weekend (RRR=29.40) sleep duration, somewhat (RRR=6.06) and very (RRR=13.29) difficult relaxing, and fair (RRR=13.80) or poor (RRR=28.05) sleep quality. It was also associated with fewer days/week feeling well-rested (B=-1.06) and more days/week with difficulty falling asleep (B=1.50), difficulty staying asleep (B=1.27), and sleep impacting functioning (B=1.42). It was also associated with an increased likelihood of talking to a doctor about sleep (OR=3.17). Conclusion Difficulty concentrating and remaining focused were strongly linked to poor sleep health, low energy levels throughout the day, greater difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and overall dissatisfaction with sleep quality. Strategies to address teens’ daytime cognitive functioning should address multidimensional aspects of sleep health. Support (if any) R01MD011600, R01MH135978