Studying sleep in young people: links to growth, use of new technologies

Shahrad Taheri leads the Midlands Adolescent Schools Sleep Education Study (MASSES). He is Senior Lecturer in medicine, diabetes and endocrinology at the University of Birmingham. He is also a consultant physician at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust. The landmark sleep study led by Taheri, the first of its kind in the UK, will contribute to better understanding of sleep and its effects on the health and well-being of young people. It is also adding value to participating schools whose sixth formers are being trained in research skills. Set up initially four years ago on a small scale as a pilot, the study was extended in 2010 thanks to three-year funding awarded by children's charity Action Medical Research. This funding has allowed the study to carry out more detailed work to understand what sleep is like during adolescence and puberty: what factors affect it, and whether sleep has an impact on health and performance.