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This makes complete sense when you think that being racked with feelings of worry, anxiety, or sadness isn’t exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep.
One of the greatest stereotypes attached to teenagers is that they like to sleep. Teen characters in TV and film are often being dragged out of bed by exasperated parents.
However, evidence suggests that this may not be the best approach when it comes to sleepy teens, since adolescent sleep is important for both current and future mental health.
It goes almost without saying that disrupted sleep is a common symptom of a mental health disorder, such as depression, in both teenagers and adults.
For many parents, this may be a constant source of frustration and one that compels them to force their lazy kids out of bed and into action in the morning.
Like with so many other adolescent stereotypes, there is a lot of truth in this. In many families, the teenagers sleep so much during the weekend that they barely see the light of day.
There is also evidence that disrupted sleep can foreshadow depression in adults. One meta-analysis followed a total of 150,000 people over a period of between three months and 34 years.
Participants who reported sleeping problems at age 15 without having depression or anxiety were more likely than others to experience those conditions at 17, 21, or 24.
In 2020, a psychologist at the University of Sussex published a study that examined the data of a large group of young adults who had been followed between the ages of 15 and 24.
This, of course, doesn’t mean that all insomniacs will later develop depression, but you don’t have to look too far to see how insomnia could have a negative impact on mental health.
The study found that those participants who reported disrupted sleep were twice as likely to suffer from depression later in life.
Depression is not the only mental health disorder that has a close relationship with insomnia. Researchers are currently also looking at the link with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, for instance.
It may also be the case that a lack of sleep can make things worse when a person is already struggling with their mental health.
However, the relationship between disrupted sleep and poor mental health is complex. For instance, one study showed that treating depression won’t necessarily cure insomnia.
Not getting enough sleep can leave us demotivated and make us irritable. This inevitably takes its toll on our personal relationships and increases our risk of developing depression.
After all, it has long since been acknowledged that sleeping poorly for even just one night can negatively impact our mood and the way we think.
In 2020, a clinical psychologist at the University of Reading trialed three different medications for treating depression. The treatments worked equally well for treating the depression, but not the insomnia.
It seems most likely that the two exacerbate each other, and it may be the case that sleep deprivation is less a cause of depression than an early sign of its subsequent arrival.
The complexity of the relationship between sleep deprivation and poor mental health means that we must be careful in deciding what is causation and what is correlation.
This will involve looking at “complex interactions between multiple genes, brain regions, and neurotransmitters” to understand what exactly is going on.
The question as to whether treating sleeping problems can help prevent mental health issues further down the line for now remains unanswered.
According to the neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, if we want to properly understand this relationship, we need to study the impact of disruption to circadian rhythms on the brain.
In the meantime, it seems likely that sleep issues in both teenagers and adults should be taken more seriously. Evidence already shows that treating insomnia can help alleviate depression.
One study led by clinical psychologist Daniel Freeman even showed that treating insomnia can help reduce the occurrence of hallucinations and paranoia.
There is a strong argument that treating patients for insomnia may encourage people to come forward sooner because there is less of a stigma around insomnia than depression.
For now, those struggling to sleep can use tried and tested techniques such as getting enough sunlight during the day, not napping for more than 20 minutes, and keeping regular bedtimes.
Sources: (BBC)
See also: The most sleep-deprived jobs around
However, there is now evidence to suggest that having trouble sleeping may not merely be a symptom of depression, but could even be an cause.
Sleep deprivation can also increase levels of inflammation in the body, and excessive inflammation has also been linked with mental health issues.
Half of the participants reported that their trouble sleeping persisted, suggesting that depression and insomnia are distinct conditions that should be treated separately.
According to one neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, disruption to circadian rhythms is not uncommon in people suffering from either of these conditions.
For many parents of teenagers, the amount that their kids sleep is a cause for irritation or at the very least concern. It can be tempting to drag sleepy teens from their beds and push them to do something with their day. However, evidence suggests that this may not be the best tactic, since it is likely that getting enough sleep is important when it comes to maintaining good mental health.
The link between sleep and mental health is, of course, already established, and having trouble sleeping is widely recognized as a symptom of mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety. But now mounting evidence suggests that disrupted sleep may not be merely a symptom of a more serious mental health disorder; it may in fact be a cause. If that's truly the case, then teenage sleep is more important than we once thought.
Intrigued? Then check out this gallery for a discussion of the link between teenage sleep and mental health.
The link between teenage sleep and mental health
It might not just be laziness after all
HEALTH Well-being
For many parents of teenagers, the amount that their kids sleep is a cause for irritation or at the very least concern. It can be tempting to drag sleepy teens from their beds and push them to do something with their day. However, evidence suggests that this may not be the best tactic, since it is likely that getting enough sleep is important when it comes to maintaining good mental health.
The link between sleep and mental health is, of course, already established, and having trouble sleeping is widely recognized as a symptom of mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety. But now mounting evidence suggests that disrupted sleep may not be merely a symptom of a more serious mental health disorder; it may in fact be a cause. If that's truly the case, then teenage sleep is more important than we once thought.
Intrigued? Then check out this gallery for a discussion of the link between teenage sleep and mental health.