Over-tired teenagers are not tired because of their busy diaries but because they are anxious, have a gloomy outlook on life and need more exercise and sleep, says psychologist Maike ter Wolbeek in her thesis published on Wednesday.

‘The accepted theory is that today’s teenagers are busy busy busy,’ Ter Wolbeek told the Volkskrant. ‘But that plays absolutely no role in developing serious symptoms of over-tiredness. Rather the opposite is true. Young people who do a lot feel energetic.’
The psychologist asked 3,454 secondary school pupils to fill in a questionnaire on tiredness, health and lifestyle. Of the respondents, 20.5% of girls and 6.5% of boys said they suffered from chronic tiredness.
Girls were more likely to suffer from tiredness due to emotional problems than boys, Ter Wolbeek said.