Two New Studies Link Teens’ Sleep Habits to Depression

Two studies reported at the 2010 annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle this week link depression with sleep deprivation in teenagers.

One study focused on high school seniors and found high levels of depression tied to lack of sleep. Almost a third of teens in this study had strong symptoms of depression, with another third having more mild symptoms of depression.  The high school seniors who were most severely sleep deprived had a far greater chance of experiencing symptoms of depression.  Those results were reported by Dr. Mahmood Siddique, an osteopath and sleep researcher at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.

Sleep deprivation is measured in a number of ways:  subjects self-report the number of hours they sleep, but they are also interviewed about various symptoms of daytime sleepiness (how often do you feel sleepy when sitting in class?  driving?  how often do you fall asleep during the day?).  The high school seniors in Siddique’s study who were at the top of the daytime sleepiness scale were three times as likely as others to experience symptoms of depression.

A second study also reported at this week’s conference, by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, used data from a study of adolescent health conducted by the National Institutes of Health.  Using the NIH survey, lead researcher James Gangwisch and his team found that adolescents whose parents enforced earlier bedtimes were far less likely to suffer depression or suicidal thoughts.  Gangwisch reported that teenagers who were allowed to stay up until midnight or later had a 42% increased risk of depression, and a 30% greater risk of suicidal thoughts.

Is sleep deprivation a cause or symptom of depression?  Neither of these studies settles that question conclusively.  Still, both groups of researchers recommend that parents enforce reasonable bed times that will ensure their children have at least a chance of getting the recommended 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night.  Siddique warns that email and other social networking may be one culprit, so keeping electronics out of the bedroom at night may be a wise precaution.