A recent research has linked depression and suicidal thinking for teenagers who sleep past midnight. Teenagers who sleep before 10 PM have 24% less chances of acquiring depression and 20% less chances for suicidal thinking.

The bigger issue however is teenagers who sleep only for 5 hours increases the chances of depression to 71% and suicidal thinking to 48%.

It was found out that among others, girls, older teenagers and those with low self-perception are more susceptible to the above-mentioned mental conditions.

The research was conducted by Columbia University Medical Centers among 15,659 teenagers in New York from 1994 to 1996. The results were reported January 1 issue of Sleep. It has recommended that the youth should have an average sleep of nine hours. The average sleep of the teenagers who participated in the survey is seven hours and 53 minutes.

James E. Gangwisch, PhD, assistant professor at the university and lead researcher said, “Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, working with other risk and protective factors through multiple possible causal pathways to the development of this mood disorder.”

It is estimated that around 80,000 children and youth suffer from depression.