Your Sleep-Deprived Teen Could Be At Risk For Depression

by Shelley White (Subscribe to Shelley White's posts) Jan 7th 2010 1:00PM

Categories: Teens & Tweens, Development, In The News, Sleep

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It's no secret that teenagers like to stay up late. In households across Canada this very night, there will no doubt be arguments over when the lights (and the computer, the TV, the iPod and the phone) should get turned off. But according to a recent study, your teen's late-night habits could contribute to mental health issues in the long term.

As reported by the Montreal Gazette, a Columbia University study involving over 15,000 American high school students has shown that inadequate sleep can increase the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.

The study, published in the January 1 edition of the journal Sleep, involved 15,659 teens from Grades 7 to 12. Teens allowed to stay up until midnight or later were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression, and 20 per cent more likely to have suicidal thoughts than teens with bedtimes of 10PM or earlier. And teens who were getting five or fewer hours of sleep per night were 71 percent more likely to suffer from depression and 48 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts than teens who were getting eight hours of sleep a night. In addition, the average amount of sleep that the teens in the study were getting each night was seven hours and 53 minutes, far less than the estimated nine hours of sleep adolescents should be getting each night.

Canadian psychotherapist and parenting expert Alyson Schafer is the author of Honey I Wrecked The Kids and the host of call-in television program The Parenting Show. She predicts that sleep is going to be a "hot topic" in the media, as researchers learn more about the detrimental and potentially dangerous effects of sleep deprivation.

"I absolutely believe that we are a sleep-deprived culture and teens are certainly vulnerable to it," says Schafer. "What happens to the brain during deep sleep is imperative to good mental health." She also pointed to recent studies which show that eroding sleep times appear to not only be creating depression problems, but are contributing to North America's alarming childhood obesity levels as well. Sleep-deprived teens seeking energy to overcome their fatigue are over-consuming carbohydrates, which leads to blood sugar swings, more quick energy cravings and more overeating.

So how can you help your teen get sufficient sleep? Not by yelling at them to go to bed, says Schafer, which will only give them more motivation to find ways around your rules.

"Now that there is the internet and text messaging, there is a party going on 24 hours a day, so your teen is always going to be missing the party," she says. "Don't expect that to change. The question is: What can you do to be successful around that?"

As the mother of two teenage daughters, Schafer says that she tries to coach her kids about the sleep issue rather than enforcing a strict bedtime. "You ask, 'How many hours did you get last night? You're saying you're tired, you went to bed at 12 and got up at 7, that's 7 hours. So it sounds like you need more than that'. So rather than rebelling against my control, they see that I trust them and I support them, and I hold up a mirror to help them learn for themselves that when they're staying up, they're choosing fatigue the next day."

She also thinks that the school system should do its part to ensure that teens get the sleep they need.

"I have always been an advocate of getting the high schools to move in line with the circadian rhythms of youth," she says. "If you leave teens on their own they do get the proper amount of sleep -- They would just like to go to bed at 12 and get up at 10. Some of these kids are getting up at 6 to get on the bus, so I am a big advocate of changing school hours to coincide with the natural rhythms of the young developing mind. School start times should be at 10 in the morning rather than at 8."

Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

d 1-09-2010 @ 8:08AM

Wow, you know teens have been fine for generations getting up early for school. What are they going to do when they have to start working? I know that in this article they are saying teens need more sleep but its something adults with responsibilities are lacking too. What happens when they start working, are they going to say sorry boss but I had to party last night I believe I shouldn't have to start work till ten in the morning because I am entitled to it! I do believe in talking to your kids but sometimes dicipline is necessary. Teens get away with too much now and it shows in the lack of manors and poor work ethic. There are good kids out there don't get me wrong but it isn't called the me generation for nothing.

chrissy_1 1-09-2010 @ 10:32AM

well, if you think about it, kids haven't been fine getting up for school for quite sometime...otherwise this wouldn't be an issue. lol

in my dads days, there were no tv's in the home nor were there cell phones, nor were there lights in the house. the house was lit by candles and heat was generated from a coal burning stove. when it was time for bed in those days, it was time for bed! there was no outside influence. in my day, we had tvs, phones, lights, forced air heating, and we were told to get to bed but oh, can i just finish this show first please? the show was over there was nothing else to do but go to bed. you knew you wouldn't be allowed to call a friend passed 9 o'clock so again, no outside influence. today, there is all kinds of outside influence from the computer to the cell phone. i just recently made my kids retire their cell phones upstairs before going to bed. my boys are in highschool and my girls still elementary, the girls have no outside influence right now that affects their bedtime, but the boys do. the boys are allowed to stay up an hour later than the girls and then it's straight to bed and yet i notice in the morning, i have to keep running downstairs to wake them up again and again. so, i became mean, no computer passed 8:30pm and 10pm they hand me their cell phones and off to bed they go. and if they want to read a book well, they have to go to bed an hour earlier....because books can keep a kid up way passed bedtime too. but at least if they do want to read and go to bed an hour early, it winds their bodies down and they have better sleeps.

i don't think the trick is to make schools start later, i think the trick is to discipline. by taking things away. lol. they need to learn there is a time to play and a time to be serious and they can't learn that if you start making the world revolve around what they do. you're just letting them have their way and that is not right either.

i think parents are just looking for ways to not have to parent myself. parenting is a hard job it's not for the weak that's for sure!

Tea 1-09-2010 @ 1:32PM

You also forgot to mention how a lot of teens have a part-time job. Sometimes I have to work 4 - 9:30 at night and then also do homework when I get home. That's a suuper long day considering I have to get up at 6:30 and catch a bus at 7:30 for school. I rarely get time for the computer during the week.

A Teenager 1-09-2010 @ 1:45PM

I am a teenager and I average about 6 hours of sleep a night. I get up at 6 for band rehearsals, and I am at school by 7:15 am 4 mornings a week. I am in all University classes, I am (and always have been) an honour roll student. I have a job, I am in the school drama productions, I go on school trips, I am involved in my community I am in two choirs, I am in almost all of the bands at school, I am in video club, I am in Reach For the Top, I take vocal, piano and theory lessons and I play hockey. Yes, I have a cell phone and I go on Facebook and MSN, but that is not the reason that I don't get enough sleep. I am busy! It is simply that. I am extremely busy. Sure, maybe a bit more than the average teenager, but that doesn't mean that there aren't teenagers who are busier than me.
Do you have any idea how much education has changed since you went to school? They are constantly changing the curriculum and educational requirements. I am in grade 11 Biology and they recently incorporated grade 12 units into the grade 11 curriculum. Are you saying that I have a discipline problem? I'll have you know that schoolwork always comes first for me. I don't stay up until 1:00 texting my friends, I am up completing homework. In fact, when I text my friends it is usually regarding schoolwork or an assignment. You may think that I don't have a social life, but that is not true either. I spend time with my friends, I go to concerts, I go to sleepovers, I've been to parties, school dances and school events. School is hard. It seriously is. Final assessments, exams, midterms, tests, projects, spending time with your friends and extracurricular activities is tough to balance.
I don't think that you can say that more teenagers have poor manners and work ethic than in the past, because there have always been lazy and rude people. Have you turned on a TV lately? We are over run with rudeness and vulgarity. I can't watch a movie without viewing something that can be considered offensive or rude.
I'm sorry, d? Do you have kids? Teenagers? Lack of work ethic and manners is a reflection of parental skills or lack thereof. But it is also the media too. And do you have any idea of what kids are subjected to at school? You may think that teenagers are rude now, but have you ever considered the past? We have come so far in regards to racism, sexism and homophobia. Yes, I acknowledge that these issues still exist, but we have some a long way. As for lack of work ethic, do have any idea of how many grown adults are lazy and lack basic work ethic? Yes, there are teenagers who are lazy, but you can't dump the blame entirely on us. We are a small fraction of those people. I'm sorry, but that is a huge accusation.
You aren't a teenager. Sure, you were at one point but not in today's society. You may think that, okay, so there is one teenager who works hard in school and has good work ethic, but that doesn't change my views on teenagers. Well let me tell you that I am not the only one. The people I associate myself with are hard workers too. And there are so many others!! It is usually just a small group of people who have tarnished the reputation of teenagers globally. Well, hello? THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOREVER!
As for lack of sleep, you cannot say that it is a lack of discipline because I force myself to do my homework every night and complete projects on time and thoroughly. I enjoy watching TV, yes, but that isn't all I do. I have a couple shows that I watch every week and I will occasionally go see movies with my friends at a theatre.
Both of you feel that it is a lack of discipline that is the reason kids are overtired. Maybe that is true with your kids, but it's not the case with me. We live in a society that is always on the go. As a society we are busier on a whole than in the past. You know why? Because there is more to do! More activities, more TV shows, entertainment and more homework! It's true. I don't believe that it is the fact that we have to get up at 6 to catch our buses, but the amount of work and pressure that is on us each day. Do you know why I am so busy with extracurricular activities? So that I can get into University. That is the reason I bust my chops. Every. Single. Day. Because high school is supposed to be about preparing us for “real” life. Are you saying that high school isn’t real life? There aren’t deadlines, responsibilities and expectations? Do you think that in high school you don’t have to deal with, yes, some lazy workers or people that you don’t get along with? That you are not faced with relationship issues, that there aren’t challenges every single day? Well, you know what? My brother is in University (part of the “real” world) and he says yes, the work is harder, but you only go to classes for around 15 hours a week. Most classes start after 10 am. And that is considered early. I go to school 5 days a week for almost 7 hours each day. No real breaks, just lunch and enough time to get to your next class. Yes, technology and applications like MSN and Facebook can be a distraction, but so are so many other things. Yes, university students could afford to get more sleep too, but do you guys make a big deal about it? No. You know why? Because it’s College or University. It’s expected of them. This? Us? Oh, it's “just” high school. It’s just a bunch of lazy teenagers. And I am pretty sure that most adults have had that thought enter their minds at one point or another. Sure, people may think that it is "just" high school, but "just" high school is my ticket in to the "real" world.
So I, being a teenager am already dubbed, rude, undisciplined, and lazy among other things, am going to keep prioritizing the homework I get from "just" high school into the "real" world so that once that happens I can judge millions of people aged 13-19 that I have never met and stick a label on them and blame them for what is wrong with our world today, just as you both, along with adults everywhere just have. Based on what you know about me, does that seem fair?

---A Teenager

REEEEZE 1-09-2010 @ 4:26PM

Have they considered that it may not just be the the computer, the TV, the iPod and the phone that have been keeping teens awake? I am a teen myself and I stay up late occupied with homework. By the time I'm finished I am too exhausted for the computer, the TV, the iPod or the phone.

A Teenager 1-09-2010 @ 9:09PM

@REEEEZE
I agree with you. I am the exact same way. The reason I don't get enough sleep is schoolwork. It is exhausting.

d 1-09-2010 @ 4:46PM

As I said there are good/amazing kids out there and yes there is a lot of extra things teens have to do to prepare for university etc. but I am 24 and the curriculum is a lot more relaxed than what it use to be at least in my mom's school. :P

D 1-10-2010 @ 12:47PM

I understand there is a lot of hard working amazing teens out there. However, I am 24 and I do notice a change in the school system because of my experience from a teacher’s perspective.
It just seems like kids get away with everything including assault with a weapon and even then they can get expelled but only for a semester. From my knowledge if a teen decides to go to a counsellor they can get their credit without doing any work and by just handing in a small work package which is also unfair to the kids who have worked hard all semester.
What I meant to say is that it seems teenagers have a lot more opportunity than they did in the past. There seems to a lot more flexibility in the school system that does not mean that some teens aren't working hard but it does mean that more teenagers are pushing the limit on what they can get away with because they feel entitled for whatever reason.
I don't believe that school starting at 10am is an option because of lack of sleep. There has always been the demand of extracurricular activity, jobs and getting good grades for all teenagers that want to get ahead in life, and there are amazing teens out there that have all of these responsibilities and will go to university because of a great work ethic and manors.