Sleep is an essential part of one’s health and well-being. A new study examined the effects of each hour of sleep lost among teenagers. According to the National Institute of Health, although teenagers need an average of nine hours of sleep per night, only 3% of students reported actually getting this amount. In this study published earlier this year in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, the reported average amount of sleep among teenagers was only 6.5 hours of sleep on weekday nights.
The researchers found that among teenagers, each hour of sleep lost was associated with:
-38% increase in the odds of feeling sad and hopeless
-42% increase in considering suicide
-58% increase in suicide attempts
-23% increase in substance abuse
These findings do not verify that insufficient sleep causes these problems; however, a majority of the research indicates that there is a link between lack of sleep and diminished brain functioning. In turn, this can affect an adolescent’s decision-making, impulsivity, and judgment. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the impact of sleep on one’s mental health.