The study also showed that "compared with adolescents who reported eight hours of shut-eye each night, those who managed five hours or less were 71 percent more likely to be depressed and 48 percent more likely to consider suicide," the Los Angeles Times (12/31, Kaplan) "Booster Shots" blog reported.

BBC News (1/2) reported, "The researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York looked at data from 15,500 teenagers," in which one in 15 was found to have depression. Participants "who reported they 'usually get enough sleep' were 65 percent less likely to be depressed."

On average, participants received "seven hours and 53 minutes of sleep," compared to "the nine or more hours of nightly sleep recommended for adolescents," the UK's Telegraph (1/1, Alleyne) reported. Adolescents "with a bedtime of 10 pm or earlier slept on average eight hours and ten minutes -- 33 minutes longer than those who went to bed at 11 pm."

According to the UK's Daily Mail (1/2, Bates), the researchers speculated that "a lack of sleep may affect how the brain responds to aversive stimuli and hinder the ability to cope with daily stress." They also noted that sleep deprivation might "affect judgment, concentration, and impulse control." Medscape (1/2, Harrison), AFP (1/2), and WebMD (1/1, Hendrick) also covered the story.

Related Links:

- Teen Suicidal Thoughts May Be Caused by Late Nights, Study Says," Simeon Bennett, Bloomberg News, January 1, 2010.

- For teens, late bedtimes can be depressing, study finds," Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2009.

- Late-night teens 'face greater depression risk'," BBC News, January 2, 2010.

- The earlier to bed, the healthier the head," Richard Alleyne, UK Telegraph, January 1, 2010.