Sleep-deprived teenagers ‘triple chances of mental illness’ by spending nights online.
Young people who rob themselves of sleep by spending all night surfing the internet and playing computer games are tripling their chances of developing a mental illness, according to research.
People who sleep less than five hours a night are up to three times more likely to become mentally ill than those sleeping eight or nine hours, the report said.
A 17-24 year old sleeps on average eight to nine hours per night, but this figure has been decreasing due to the amount of time young people spend on electronic gadgets in their bedrooms.
Researchers from George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia, analysed the sleeping habits of almost 20,000 people aged between 17 and 24. They found over half of those who got fewer than six hours sleep had high levels of psychological distress, compared with one quarter of those who slept eight to nine hours a night.
Professor Nick Glazier, who led the study, said: “Over the past few decades’ young adults have been sleeping fewer and fewer hours, whereas the rest of us have generally been sleeping more hours. “There’s a whole load of gadgets that kids and young adults now have in their bedrooms that they never used to have. “Yet of course they have to get up and go to school or college or go to university at exactly the same time. So there’s a group of them who are becoming more and more sleep-deprived.
Sleep deprivation is a serious problem in young people and many challenges, from behaviour to appetite, can be sorted out with a good night sleep, but how do you do it?
It is never easy to get your child to bed earlier and the earlier you start, the better for sure.
- If you can keep technology out of the bedroom and in a communal area of the house, although it may not be easy, it is obviously much better.
- Have a time when technology goes off and if you need to, set parental controls on computers, etc. that switches the internet off.
- Try and get your child into some kind of routine, however small. A cup of hot chocolate can work wonders, even for the most ardent game player.
- Give 30 and 15 minute warnings before the time is up and don’t expect them just to switch off and leave. Set your limit 30 minutes before you really want it and that way they will think they have crossed the boundary and you will also get what you want.
- Let them sleep in at weekends and holidays and don’t insist that they get up. This is when they can catch up.
