Research indicates a link between teenage depression and the number of restful hours of sleep.
Based on data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s, Columbia University Medical Center researchers found that 12 to 18-year-olds with bedtimes after midnight were 24% more likely to suffer from depression than those who went to bed before 10 p.m. According to the BBC, Teenagers who reported they “usually get enough sleep” were 65% less likely to be depressed.
20% of those studied with midnight or later bedtimes were 20% more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Even more alarming, stated the the BBC, those who had less than five hours sleep a night were thought to have a 48% higher risk of suicidal thoughts compared with those who had eight hours of sleep.
Study leader Dr James Gangwisch said: “Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression.”
