Associations Between Multidimensional Sleep Health Parameters and Adolescents’ Self-reported Light Exposure in the Free-living Environment

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the associations between light exposure in the free-living environment and multiple dimensions of sleep health of typically developing adolescents. Fifty-six (29 girls, 27 boys) typically developing adolescents (mean age = 13.59, SD = 0.89, range = 12-17 years) participated. For six consecutive nights, sleep was assessed in the home environment using actigraphy. During the same period, participants were asked to fill out a daily sleep log and a daily light exposure log, and to complete questionnaires regarding their alertness and subjective sleep satisfaction. Longer self-reported exposure to daylight in the morning was associated with longer objectively measured sleep duration. Longer self-reported exposures to electronic devices in the evening were associated with later objectively measured sleep onset and offset times, shorter sleep duration, and greater day-to-day sleep variability. Longer morning exposure to outdoor light was associated with a longer sleep duration. Self-reported light exposure was not associated with sleep satisfaction, alertness/sleepiness, or sleep efficiency. Among the covariates, circadian preference accounted for the highest percentage of variance. Adolescents’ sleep health is associated with the self-reported duration of exposure to daylight in the morning and to electronic devices in the evening.