What Could Go Wrong When Teenagers Get Less Than Six Hours Sleep A Night Is Scary For Any Parent

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Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who sifted through data from thousands of teenagers have made a terrifying conclusion on sleep deprived teenagers or one who gets less than six hours sleep each night.

A new research has however shown that teenagers who regularly get less than six hours sleep each night are twice as likely to smoke, drink or take drugs. And youngsters who often stay up later and wake up earlier also face treble the risk of suicide. Youngsters are recommended to get at least 8 hours sleep and no more than 10 hours to give them the ideal amount of rest they need.

“Insufficient sleep in youth raises multiple public health concerns, including mental health, substance abuse and motor vehicle crashes.” Senior author, Dr Elizabeth Klerman said.

Insomnia has also been linked over the years to impaired learning, development and decision making. The researchers analyzed data from secondary school students who took part in the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveys of February 2007 to May 2015.

The survey is carried out twice a year by 14-to-18 years olds in the US, who are asked how much sleep they get and about their risk-taking behaviours.

A total of 67,615 surveys were included in the analysis and the results were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Dr Mathew Weaver- who led the research, and his colleagues found only 30% of students get the recommended 8 hours of sleep or more, on an average school night.

The amount getting less than 8 hours a night jumped by 4% from 68.9% in 2007 to 71.9% in 2015.

Compared with those getting the recommended sleep, teens who had insufficient amounts of sleep were more likely to drink, smoke and take drugs.

The sleep-deprived youngsters were also more likely to drive dangerously and have ‘risky sexual’ and ‘aggressive’ behaviours.

The biggest differences were seen in mood and mental health.

Teenagers who regularly got less than 6 hours of sleep a night were 3 times more likely to consider or attempt suicide. They were also 4 times more likely to attempt suicide that requires treatment.

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Dr Weaver said:

“We found the odds of unsafe behaviour by high school students increased significantly with fewer hours of sleep. Personal risk-taking behaviors are common precursors to accidents and suicides, which are the leading causes of death among teens and have important implications for the health and safety of high school students nationally.”

The researchers added that further studies are required to determine the relationship between sleep and risky behaviours. In the meantime, the results should be used to encourage healthy sleep habits, they urged.

The NHS recommends people go to bed and wake at the same time every day, cut down on caffeine and ensure their bed is comfortable.

It has also been suggested that getting less than 8 hours sleep a night can be linked to anxiety and depression.