Poor Sleep Causes Obesity, Depression In Teens
Depression and obesity is rising among teens. Studies have shown that poor sleep in the night is responsible for these harmful health conditions.
Poor sleep increases mental illness risk
Researchers have found that excessive use of internet is forcing teenagers and young adults to stay up late.
According to health experts, these sleep-deprived teens have a greater risk of developing depression and other mental disorders. In a recent University of Sydney study, researchers studied the affect of sleep on the mental health of about 20,000 young people, between 17 and 24 years of age.
Researchers found that compared to normal sleepers, participants in the study who slept for less than five hours were three times more likely to develop psychological distress in the following year.
Sleeping difficulties and insomnia increase the risk of developing anxiety and depression in the longer-term. Poor sleep might even lead to serious mental disorders, such as major depression and bipolar disorder, later in life.
Inadequate sleep disrupts the normal functioning of the body clock, which adversely affects the mental health. Each hour of lost sleep increases the risk of developing mental distress by 14 per cent.
Researchers have noted that although older adults and middle-aged people are sleeping for longer hours, teens and younger adults are prone to poor sleep.
To make matters worse for the ‘night owls’, in another study, researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine, in Pennsylvania, have found that insomniac men have low life expectancy. Insomnia and inadequate sleep might be responsible for premature death in men.
Little sleep causes excess snacking
According to a Harvard Medical School study, teens who remain awake in the small hours, chatting on social networking sites or studying for exams, are also the ones who overeat.
The study has been reported in the journal Sleep. Researchers have found that compared to normal sleepers, teens who sleep for less than eight hours on weeknights tend to eat excess high calorie and fatty snacks. However, the relation between poor sleep and overeating is unclear.
Researchers believe that poor sleeping pattern slows down production of leptin and ghrelin. These hormones regulate hunger. Low levels of these hormones increase hunger pangs.
