Disturbed sleep can be characterized either by non-restorative sleep or by a complete lack of it. It is no secret that this phenomenon negatively influences human health by increasing the risk of heart disease, overweight, obesity, diabetes and depression. A recent study suggests that chronic sleep disturbances in teens can lead to depression as well as impaired stress responsiveness in women. These results are particularly justifying in the context of the coronavirus pandemic having put a strain on adolescent mental health.
Disrupted sleep in teens can cause depression
The scientific study in question is conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada, and published in the journal Behavioral Brain Research last month. The Canadian research authors used 80 laboratory mice, 40 males and 40 females in adolescence and adulthood. Their sleep was especially disturbed for 8 consecutive days. Then, the small rodents underwent a stressor to assess their depressive behavior.
The results revealed that adolescent mice (male and female) exhibited significantly greater depressive behavior after only seven days of disturbed sleep. In contrast, adult mice, both males and females, showed no signs of depression.
In addition, female mice showed more significant secretion of the stress hormone as well as greater activity of stress-sensitive brain cells.
Findings from the Canadian team suggest that poor sleep during adolescence may increase the risk of depression in women and men. What’s more, disrupted sleep may make teenage girls more vulnerable to other stressors and increase their risk for developing mood disorders.
Study published in Behavioral Brain Research
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