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Insomnia, a health condition that was earlier only prevalent in adults, is now fast affecting teens too. Recent studies have shown that while teenagers should ideally sleep for 9 hours, many young adults today sleep for just 7 hours and 53 minutes on an average.<\/p>\n
Lack of Sleep and Depression<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies show that lack of sleep and depression are interlinked. Lack of sleep fuels depression in teenagers just as it does in adults.<\/p>\n Studies show that teenagers who sleep less than 5 hours have a 71% risk of developing symptoms associated with depression. Another startling figure that studies report is that teenagers who stay up late after midnight are at a 20% increased risk of getting clinically depressed and having thoughts of suicide. It isn\u2019t without reason then, that the moniker \u201cEarly to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy and wise\u201d<\/em> is still so prevalent to this day.<\/p>\n Numerous research studies also confirm what was generally known: girls, older teens, and those who have low self esteem are more likely to be prone to depression.<\/p>\n How insomnia affects teens<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies have confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt that continuous lack of sleep in teens can result in depression. Also, inadequate sleep adversely affects their ability to judge, concentrate, and think objectively. If a child is continuously deprived of good sleep, he\/she may constantly be in a bad mood, and also is likely to feel tired and fatigued all the time.<\/p>\n In addition to all these, insomnia adversely affects a teen\u2019s performance, be it in sports or studies. In fact, if the condition continues for too long, one may start experiencing blackouts.<\/p>\n With so many known bad affects of insomnia, as a parent, you just can\u2019t afford to be careless about your kid\u2019s sleep. Talk to your child about the importance of sound sleep, and how the lack of sleep over a period of time can affect them.<\/p>\n