Health & Medicine
Insomnia can Increase the Risk of Depression in Teens
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Jul 31, 2014 01:07 AM EDT
Statistics show that millions around the world are affected by insomnia: a sleep disorder that's characterized by difficulties staying or falling asleep throughout the night. If not properly treated, this health issue can lead to sleep deprivation as well as an increased risk of other health issues. Now, a recent study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found that teenagers who frequently can't sleep may be at a greater risk for anxiety and depression.
"People with insomnia find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep for as long as they need to. This is a widespread sleep disorder among the general public, and in most countries about 11% of teens aged 13-16 years experience insomnia at some stage," said researcher Pasquale Alvaro, a PhD student from the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, via Medical Xpress. "There is a growing awareness among the scientific community that insomnia, depression and anxiety disorders are linked with each other, and these disorders contain overlapping neurobiological, psychological, and social risk factors."
For the study, researchers interviewed more than 300 high school students between the ages of 12 and 18. They collected information via surveys on these adolescents' sleeping habits, mental health status and daytime activity levels, particularly examining when they were more active.
Based on self-reports, researchers found that teen insomnia was independently tied to depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety. Findings also revealed that adolescents who were more active during the evenings were more likely to suffer from depression or insomnia. Furthermore, these teens were also more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder or certain social phobias.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the article, "The independent relationships between insomnia, depression, subtypes of anxiety, and chronotype during adolescence."
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First Posted: Jul 31, 2014 01:07 AM EDT
Statistics show that millions around the world are affected by insomnia: a sleep disorder that's characterized by difficulties staying or falling asleep throughout the night. If not properly treated, this health issue can lead to sleep deprivation as well as an increased risk of other health issues. Now, a recent study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found that teenagers who frequently can't sleep may be at a greater risk for anxiety and depression.
"People with insomnia find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep for as long as they need to. This is a widespread sleep disorder among the general public, and in most countries about 11% of teens aged 13-16 years experience insomnia at some stage," said researcher Pasquale Alvaro, a PhD student from the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, via Medical Xpress. "There is a growing awareness among the scientific community that insomnia, depression and anxiety disorders are linked with each other, and these disorders contain overlapping neurobiological, psychological, and social risk factors."
For the study, researchers interviewed more than 300 high school students between the ages of 12 and 18. They collected information via surveys on these adolescents' sleeping habits, mental health status and daytime activity levels, particularly examining when they were more active.
Based on self-reports, researchers found that teen insomnia was independently tied to depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety. Findings also revealed that adolescents who were more active during the evenings were more likely to suffer from depression or insomnia. Furthermore, these teens were also more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder or certain social phobias.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the article, "The independent relationships between insomnia, depression, subtypes of anxiety, and chronotype during adolescence."
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone