For teens, late bedtimes can be depressing, study finds
Reported December 31, 2009
Teenagers across the country are staying up late tonight to ring in the new
year. But teens who make a habit of staying up past midnight have an increased
risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.
A new study finds that adolescents can improve their mental health by sticking
to bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier. Compared with teenagers who hit the hay by
10, those who go to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to be depressed and
20% more likely to seriously contemplate suicide.
Even more important than an early bedtime -- though certainly related to it --
was the total amount of sleep teens got. Compared with adolescents who reported
eight hours of shut-eye each night, those who managed five hours or less were
71% more likely to be depressed and 48% more likely to consider suicide.
Columbia University psychotherapist James Gangwisch and colleagues determined
these risks by analyzing data collected from 15,659 kids in grades 7 through 12
and their parents as part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent
Health. Overall, 7% of teens were depressed and 13% had seriously contemplated
suicide.
The findings, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep, are in line
with the theory that insufficient shut-eye can cause depression, according
Gangwisch. “Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure
against depression and a treatment for depression,” he said in a statement.
Gangwisch has previously linked inadequate sleep to obesity, type 2 diabetes and
hypertension.
Of course, convincing teens to turn in by 10 is easier said than done. In the
survey data, only 54% of parents said their teens were in bed by 10 p.m., and
25% said they allowed their adolescents to turn in after midnight. For help
enforcing an early bedtime, check out these tips from SleepEducation.com.
Source : Los Angeles Times |
