HHS HealthBeat (April 24, 2006)

Get Your Zzz’s

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Insomnia may do more than make teens grumpy. It might lead to psychiatric disorders and other health problems.

Researchers say 11 percent of more than 1,000 13- to 16-year-olds studied suffered from insomnia. Those teens were also two to three times more likely to have a mood or anxiety disorder.

Eric Johnson of RTI International in North Carolina says insomnia does more than create lack of sleep. It reduces mental capacity and performance, and indicates an increased risk for depression and substance abuse. His advice for teens:

"Establish regular hours for going to bed, and regular rise time. Creating a conducive sleep environment, as well as limiting caffeine intake, particularly later in the day." (10 seconds)

Johnson says parents can insist on reasonable bed times.

The study supported by the National Institutes of Health was in the journal Pediatrics.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006