Teens whose parents pack them off to bed at 10 p.m. are less apt to become depressed or have suicidal thoughts than their peers who stay up much later, recent research shows.

    "This study bolsters the argument that a lack of sleep can cause depression," said study author James Gangwisch, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "Teens with earlier parental-mandated bedtimes were less likely to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts."

    Gangwisch was to present the findings Tuesday at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting, in Seattle.

    The study stemmed from data on more than 15,000 adolescents who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

    The researchers found that 1,143 of the teens were depressed and 2,038 had suicidal ideation, the term clinicians use to describe suicidal thinking. Dr. Jonathan Pletcher, an adolescent medicine specialist from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, pointed out that suicidal thoughts are common in teenagers, which is why the study included more teens with suicidal thoughts than depressed adolescents.

    "A lot of teens have suicidal thoughts, but there's a big difference between suicidal ideation and being suicidal," Pletcher said.

    When Gangwisch and his research team looked at the relationship of depression and suicidal thoughts to parental-mandated bedtimes, they found a clear correlation.

    Teens whose parents insist on 10 p.m. or sooner for lights out were 25 percent less likely to be depressed and 20 percent less likely to have suicidal thoughts, compared with kids who hit the sack at midnight or later.

    Gangwisch said he adjusted the data to account for numerous factors, including parental connectedness and the age of the teens, because older teens probably would have later bedtimes. After controlling for these factors, he said, it was clear that a lack of sleep was to blame for the increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.

    "Kids that have to go to bed earlier are getting more sleep," he said.

    Pletcher said it's likely that a combination of factors accounted for the increased risk. "There's a bi-directional relationship between depression and sleep," he said. "Teens who get less sleep may be more anxious and more likely to feel badly. But, I think this study's findings also speak to a connection between the teen and their parents and their ability to work together."

    Both Gangwisch and Pletcher agreed that most teens need at least eight to nine hours of sleep a night, and said that parents might underestimate their teen's need for sleep.

    "Getting adequate sleep is a huge priority," said Pletcher. Besides increasing the risk for depression and suicidal thoughts, a lack of sleep can affect a child's focus and learning, he said. And Gangwisch said that a dearth of sleep is also associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

    Pletcher said that teens who don't get enough sleep may also be more impulsive.

    "Don't underestimate how a lack of adequate sleep can affect everything from mood to behavior," he advised.

    最近的研究表明，父母們在晚上10點鐘就打發睡覺的年輕人們和他們的同齡人相比，較不易于有抑郁或自殺想法的傾向。

    "此研究支持睡眠缺乏會導致抑郁癥的爭論，"此研究的作者紐約市哥倫比亞大學醫學中心的精神病助理教授James Gangwisch說道。"那些有父母規定的較早的睡眠時間的年輕人較不易于遭受抑郁癥和自殺的想法。"

    Gangwisch將于本周二在西雅圖市舉辦的聯合職業睡眠社會年度會議上提出此研究的各項發現。

    此研究的數據源自于參加了國家青少年健康縱向研究的15,000多名青年。

    研究人員發現，這些年輕人中有1,143名有抑郁癥，而2,038名有自殺的構想，臨床醫生用這個詞組描述自殺的想法。匹茲堡兒童醫院的青少年藥物專家Jonathan Pletcher博士指出，自殺構想在年輕人中十分普遍，這就是為何此研究中涉及的有自殺想法的年輕人多于抑郁癥的年輕人。

    "很多年輕人都有自殺的想法，但是在自殺的想法和實施自殺之間有很大的不同。"Pletcher說道。

    Gangwisch及其研究隊伍查看抑郁癥，自殺構想和父母規定的睡眠時間的關系時，他們發現了一個明確的關聯。

    與那些在午夜或更晚入睡的年輕人相比，那些父母堅持在晚上10點或更早熄燈的年輕人們患抑郁癥的幾率降低25%,而有自殺構想降低了20%.

    Gangwisch說，他調整了數據來證明許多因素，包括與父母相關的因素，年輕人的年齡，因為較大的年輕人通常睡的更晚。在控制了這些因素后，他說，很明顯，睡眠的缺乏應當對抑郁癥和自殺構想增長的風險負責。

    Pletcher說，多種因素的綜合導致了增長的風險。"抑郁癥和睡眠之間存在著雙向關系，那些睡眠較少的年輕人可能更加焦慮和感覺糟糕。但是，我認為，此研究的發現也提及了青年和父母之間的關系，以及他們互相配合的能力。"

    Gangwisch 和Pletcher都認為，多數青年需要每晚8到9小時的睡眠，而父母們可能低估了他們的孩子對于睡眠的需要。

    "得到適當的睡眠是個巨大的優勢，"Pletcher說道。除了增加抑郁癥和自殺想法的風險，缺乏睡眠也能影響孩子的注意力和學習力。Gangwisch說，缺乏睡眠也和肥胖癥以及二類糖尿病有關系。Pletcher說沒有得到足夠睡眠的青年人可能會更加沖動。"不要低估睡眠缺乏對從情緒到行為的影響。"他建議道。