Study finds early mornings could be triggering depression in teens

No one likes Mondays, and nobody likes an early start, especially if you’re a teen in much need of a restorative and peaceful slumber.

Researchers at Rochester Medical Center, in New York, analysed 197 students aged between 14 and 17 years-of-age and found early starts might actually be putting huge pressure on teens to actually get to sleep, therefore stressing them out and leaving them unable to finally hit snooze. As part of the study, published in Sleep Health, teens were given questionnaires which sought to find out all about their sleeping habits - if they see themselves more as a morning or evening person and at what time they start school each morning. They were also asked to record their sleeping patterns, their quality of sleep plus any feelings of anxiety or depression. Lead author of the study, Dr Jack Peltz said;

“Earlier school start times seems to put more pressure on the sleep process and increase mental health symptoms, while later school start times appear to be a strong protective factor for teens. “However, the fact that school start times showed a moderating effect on mental health symptoms suggests that better sleep hygiene (this refers to habits and practices we can undertake to ensure a good sleep) combined with later school start times would yield better outcomes.”

Dr Peltz also pointed out the importance of limiting caffeine, turning off the TV and mobile phones, and ensuring we get between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night. Essentially, everything we know we should do but what can be extremely difficult to accomplish. He also said that while other variables do need to be looked at, the findings show that earlier school start times are putting more pressure on the process of sleep and therefore increasing issues surrounding mental health, while later school start times “appear to be a strong factor for teens."