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The sleepy teen cliché -

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.

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Living up to the stereotypes -

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.

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The parents -

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.

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The right approach? -

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.

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Insomnia as a symptom -

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.

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Insomnia as a symptom -

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.

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Insomnia as a cause -

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.

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Sussex study -

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.

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Sussex study results -

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.

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The same goes for adults -

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.

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The same goes for adults -

The study found that those participants who reported disrupted sleep were twice as likely to suffer from depression later in life.

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Perfect sense -

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.

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Effects of sleep deprivation -

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.

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Effects of sleep deprivation -

Sleep deprivation can also increase levels of inflammation in the body, and excessive inflammation has also been linked with mental health issues.

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Links with other disorders -

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.

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Links with other disorders -

According to one neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, disruption to circadian rhythms is not uncommon in people suffering from either of these conditions.

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Exacerbating factor -

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.

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Exacerbating factor -

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.

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Complex relationship -

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.

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Reading study -

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.

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Reading study results -

Half of the participants reported that their trouble sleeping persisted, suggesting that depression and insomnia are distinct conditions that should be treated separately.

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Causation vs. correlation -

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.

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Causation vs. correlation -

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.

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More research needed -

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.

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More research needed -

This will involve looking at “complex interactions between multiple genes, brain regions, and neurotransmitters” to understand what exactly is going on.

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Insomnia treatment -

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.

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Insomnia treatment -

One study led by clinical psychologist Daniel Freeman even showed that treating insomnia can help reduce the occurrence of hallucinations and paranoia.

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A big "what if" -

The question as to whether treating sleeping problems can help prevent mental health issues further down the line for now remains unanswered.

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Lack of stigma -

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.

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Tips for insomnia sufferers -

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

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