A new study from the University of Birmingham has found that children who experience poor sleep during their early years are at a significantly greater risk of developing depression as teenagers. Researchers are encouraging parents to cultivate better sleep habits in their young children to reduce potential future mental health problems.
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The study, which analyzed data from over 15,000 participants in the long-term Children Of The 90s study, highlighted sleep as a "modifiable factor." Researchers noted that tackling sleep issues in early childhood is more manageable than addressing complex emotional issues later in life.
Nighttime sleep duration was tracked at multiple stages—when the children were six, 18, and 30 months, as well as at ages 3.5, four to five, five to six, and six to seven years old. Self-reported symptoms of depression were collected from the same individuals at ages 12.5, 13.5, 16, 17.5, 21, and 22 years.
The study identified that children aged between six months and seven years with "persistent" shorter sleep were nearly twice as likely to report high levels of depression persisting from ages 13 to 22. Out of the group studied, 308 children displayed consistently high levels of depression throughout the analyzed periods.
Dr. Isabel Morales-Munoz, the study’s lead author, stated to the Press Association that children with persistent shorter sleep had a significantly increased risk of enduring depression. She clarified that while poor sleep can be a common issue in childhood, it is the consistency of that poor sleep that correlates with heightened depression risk.
Dr. Morales-Munoz emphasized the importance of improving sleep without the need for medical interventions, highlighting that effective strategies include setting earlier and consistent bedtimes, reducing screen time before bed, encouraging daytime physical activity, and establishing a calming sleep environment.
Dr. Rebekah Amos, a co-author of the study, noted that while the findings suggest chronic poor sleep could impact long-term mental health through biological factors like inflammation, interventions to improve sleep behaviors may mitigate this risk. The study is published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.