Australian research: Young people who get little sleep more likely to become mentally ill

From The Age in Australia:

Young people who get very little sleep are much more likely to become mentally ill, Australian research shows.

Lack of sleep might help explain the puzzling increase in mental illness among young people over the past decades, said research leader Nicholas Glozier. He said late-night Internet use might be one reason young people were sleeping less.

The study of nearly 20,000 people aged 17-24 found those who slept less than five hours a night were three times more likely than normal sleepers to become psychologically distressed in the next year. Each hour of sleep lost was linked to a 14 per cent higher risk of distress.

''Sleep disturbance and in particular insomnia is a predictor of later development of depression and possibly anxiety,'' said Professor Glozier.

Less sleep was also associated with longer-term mental health problems, he said.

Professor Glozier, of the University of Sydney, believes lack of sleep can contribute to increasing rates of depression.

Sleep problems and mental illness could exacerbate each other. ''What we are seeing is young adults who tend to start off with anxiety and body clock problems, move on to problems like bipolar or major depression.''

Along with researchers from the Woolcock Institute and the Brain and Mind Research Institute, Professor Glozier is pioneering methods to change the body clocks of sleep-deprived people.

Patients are treated with light therapy in the mornings as well as hormones such as melatonin to help them sleep earlier.