Hispanic adolescents experience later sleep timing and greater social jet lag than peers, study finds

A new study published in the journal Sleep Advances sheds light on the complex web of behavioral and social factors that influence adolescent sleep patterns, especially among Hispanic youth. Drawing on data from the large, ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the researchers found that Hispanic adolescents tend to go to bed later, have more misalignment between their weekday and weekend sleep schedules, and sleep slightly less on school nights compared to their non-Hispanic peers.

The researchers conducted the study to better understand why some adolescents experience more disrupted or delayed sleep than others. Past studies have shown that teens across the board are sleeping less than recommended, and that poor sleep in adolescence can impact mental health, academic performance, and physical development.

But Hispanic youth may face unique sleep challenges that haven’t been fully explored. Cultural traditions around caffeine, different screen use habits, and varying levels of stress or social support might all contribute. The team wanted to examine how these factors interact, and whether they help explain disparities in sleep timing and duration between Hispanic and non-Hispanic teens.

To investigate these questions, the researchers analyzed data from over 2,700 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 12. The dataset came from the nationally representative Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which includes information on sleep, behavior, mental health, and environment. Participants provided self-reports on how much caffeine they consumed, how much time they spent on screens during the week and on weekends, and their perceptions of their school environment and peer relationships.

Parents also reported on their children’s symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Sleep habits were measured using a standardized questionnaire that estimates chronotype (sleep preference), social jet lag (the gap between weekday and weekend sleep timing), and weekday sleep duration.

Free daily newsletter

The researchers found several statistically significant differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic adolescents. Hispanic youth reported going to bed and waking up later, with a moderate shift in their preferred sleep midpoint. They also experienced greater social jet lag, meaning the difference between their sleep schedules on school days and weekends was larger. On average, they got slightly less sleep during the school week. These differences remained even after accounting for age, gender, and income.

The researchers also observed higher levels of caffeine consumption among Hispanic adolescents, especially in the form of soda and coffee. Cultural traditions, such as drinking café de olla with family, may contribute to early and more frequent caffeine exposure. However, caffeine use—despite being more common in this group—was not linked to differences in sleep timing or duration in the statistical models. This finding runs counter to common assumptions about caffeine’s impact on sleep and suggests that other factors may play a more prominent role.

One of the strongest predictors of delayed sleep timing and increased social jet lag was screen time. Hispanic adolescents reported more screen use during weekday evenings and weekends than their non-Hispanic peers. Across the full sample, more evening screen time was consistently associated with a later chronotype and greater weekday–weekend sleep misalignment. Afternoon screen time during the week was also linked to shorter sleep duration on school nights. These results suggest that managing when adolescents use screens may be more important than the total amount of screen time when it comes to supporting better sleep.

Psychological and social factors were also linked to sleep outcomes. Adolescents with higher levels of perceived stress tended to go to bed later and had more social jet lag. Depression symptoms, interestingly, were linked to earlier sleep timing and longer sleep duration on school nights. This may reflect social withdrawal, fatigue, or changes in activity patterns among teens experiencing depressive symptoms. Anxiety symptoms, in contrast, were not significantly related to sleep timing or duration in this study.

Social connections appeared to shape sleep patterns as well. Adolescents with stronger and healthier peer networks tended to have a later chronotype and greater social jet lag. This may reflect more frequent evening socializing or texting, as well as norms within peer groups that support later bedtimes. While strong peer networks are generally considered protective for adolescent health, they may also influence behaviors that delay sleep.

The statistical model used in the study explained about 13% of the variation in chronotype, 10% in social jet lag, and 6% in weekday sleep duration. These numbers suggest that while the included factors play a role, many other influences—biological, environmental, or behavioral—are also at work. Importantly, the study design does not allow for conclusions about cause and effect. The results show associations between variables, but they do not prove that screen time or stress, for example, directly changes sleep patterns.

The study also has several limitations. Caffeine intake was measured only at the start of the study, which may not reflect how consumption changes as adolescents get older. The measure also focused on maximum caffeine use rather than typical daily patterns, which may have limited its ability to detect subtle effects on sleep. Additionally, the timing of data collection varied across variables, and some measures were taken years apart, which makes it more difficult to interpret how one factor might influence another over time.

Another limitation was the inability to fully explore how these patterns differ across other racial and ethnic groups. Attempts to create separate models for each group were not successful due to small sample sizes and statistical instability. As a result, findings may not generalize to all populations, and future studies with more diverse samples will be important to clarify whether similar trends hold in other communities.

Despite these limitations, the study adds to a growing body of research highlighting the role of behavioral and environmental influences on adolescent sleep. The findings suggest that reducing screen time during evenings and weekends could help support healthier sleep patterns, especially among Hispanic adolescents who may be more likely to engage in late-night digital activities. Helping adolescents manage stress and supporting positive peer relationships may also be beneficial, although the impact of these factors on sleep is complex and may vary across individuals.

The study’s authors say that future research should continue to investigate how sleep behaviors develop over time and how they interact with other aspects of adolescent life. Longitudinal studies that track sleep, screen use, stress, and social factors simultaneously may offer clearer insights into how these variables influence one another. As adolescent sleep patterns become increasingly out of sync with natural circadian rhythms and social demands, understanding the full range of influences will be key to developing strategies that promote healthier development for all youth.

The study, “Preliminary findings on caffeine intake, screen time, social factors, and psychological well-being: their impact on chronotype and sleep health in Hispanic adolescents,” was authored by Alexander L. Wallace, Laika Aguinaldo, Michael L’ Thomas, Michael J McCarthy, and Alejandro D Meruelo.