4 January 2010
Night owl teens risking depression
Teenagers whose parents set a bedtime of midnight or later are more likely to have depression or think about suicide than those whose parents set a bedtime of before 10pm, according to new research.
Researchers from the US looked at responses from more than 15,000 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 and their parents, who had taken part in a national study on adolescent health. The adolescents' parents were asked what bedtime, if any, they set for their child on week nights. The adolescents were asked how many hours of sleep they usually got every night and whether they thought they got enough sleep. They were also asked questions to determine whether they had depression or thoughts of suicide.
Just over half the parents set a bedtime of 10pm or earlier on week nights for their child, while a quarter set a bedtime of midnight or later.
The researchers found that six out of 100 teenagers who had a bedtime of 10pm or earlier suffered from depression, compared to eight out of 100 whose parents set a bedtime of midnight or later. In addition, 12 out of 100 of those with an earlier bedtime had thoughts of suicide compared to 15 out of 100 who had a later bedtime.
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Dr Annabel Bentley, assistant medical director for Bupa |
Encouraging your teenager to go to bed at a reasonable hour is a simple way to help them to get the sleep that they need. 
When taking into account other factors that could affect the likelihood of depression, such as age, gender and parents' marital status, teenagers whose parents set a bedtime of midnight or later were a quarter more likely to suffer from depression and a fifth more likely to think about suicide than those with a 10pm or earlier bedtime.
The researchers believe that a later bedtime can cause depression and suicidal thoughts in adolescents because teenagers who are set a later bedtime generally get less sleep and are more likely to feel as if they haven't had enough sleep. This may affect the emotional responses of the brain, reducing the teenagers' ability to cope with everyday stresses. Lack of sleep could also affect relationships with friends and family, and have a negative effect on judgement and concentration.
Commenting on the study, Dr Annabel Bentley, assistant medical director for Bupa said: "This large study on teenagers is interesting, but doesn't tell us how sleep and depression are related. The causes of depression and how much sleep each person needs are not known. Encouraging your teenager to go to bed at a reasonable hour is a simple way to help them to get the sleep that they need."
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Related information
Read the studies
Gangwisch JE, Babiss LA, Malaspina D, et al. Earlier parental set bedtimes as a protective factor against depression and suicidal ideation. Sleep 2010;33(1):97-106. http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27679
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