Mental Health News: Sleep experts at the University of South Australia confirmed that sleep is intrinsically linked to mental health and remind parents about teenagers getting sufficient sleep to prevent the risk of developing behavioral problems, as well as anxiety and depression.
According to researchers Dr. Alex Agostini and Dr. Stephanie Centofanti, health practitioners overlook that insufficient sleep is the contributing factor for poor mental health across the teenage years.
No doubt, adequate sleep is important for good mental health, strong immunity, and functioning on a daily basis, explains Dr Agostini. But, sleep is critical for teenagers because at that age a lot of physical, social, and developmental changes occur in the body all of which depend on adequate sleep.
Researchers say that 8 hours of sleep is a must for teenagers else they are twice as likely to engage in risky behaviors such as alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, rash driving, and other dangerous or harmful activities.
Out of many factors, technology is a serious contributor to later bedtimes for teenagers. Spending long hours on smartphones, texting, playing games online, disturbs good sleep. The blue light emitted from smart devices inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, delaying the natural onset of sleep. Overusing technology leads to anxiety and other mental health issues, according to co-researcher Dr Centofanti.
To Know More, You May Refer To:
Alex Agostini, Stephanie Centofanti. Normal Sleep in Children and Adolescence. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2021; 30 (1): 1 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2020.08.011
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