According to Dr. Subhabrata Moitra, the study’s lead
author from the University of Alberta's pulmonary medicine division, the prevalence
of asthma and allergic conditions among children and adolescents is increasing
worldwide. Known causes for the rise include exposure to pollution and tobacco
smoke, but also teenagers’ sleep patterns.
Those studied were questioned about any wheezing,
asthma, or symptoms of allergic rhinitis, like runny nose and sneezing. They
were also asked a list of questions to help determine whether they were
"evening types," "morning types" or in between, as well as
specific questions such as what time of the evening or night they tend to feel
tired, what time they would choose to wake up, and how tired they feel upon
waking up.
The authors of the study compared the teenagers'
symptoms with their sleep preferences and considered other factors that are
known to affect asthma and allergies, like the location in which the kids live,
and whether anyone in the household smokes.
READ MORE: What to do if technology is affecting your kids’ sleep
In their findings, they discovered that having asthma
was around three times higher in adolescents who prefer to sleep later than
those who slept earlier. Moreover, they also found the risk of suffering
allergic rhinitis was twice as high in teenagers who slept late than early
sleepers.
Dr. Moitra says that the study results suggest that
melatonin, the sleep hormone, often becomes out of sync in late sleepers. He
adds that the disruption in melatonin levels could be responsible for causing
allergic responses in teenagers.
The researchers also add that exposure to the light
from mobile phones, tablets, and other devices might have effects on children's
and teenagers' sleep time. They suggest that encouraging them to put down their
devices earlier would reduce the risk of asthma and allergies.