Disturbed sleep in childhood linked to mental health problems in adults

CHILDREN who have trouble sleeping are more likely to develop mental health problems, researchers warned yesterday.

They said disturbed sleep patterns could be a warning sign of future problems including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia, and disorders such as autism.

Researchers from Goldsmiths, University of London, and Tel Aviv University believe that sleep, or lack of it, may be key to understanding how children and teenagers go on to develop mental illnesses.

Insomnia and nightmares are associated with a greater risk of developing mental health problems later in life, they said.

Psychologist Dr Alice Gregory of Goldsmiths said psychological disorders typically start early in life and it was ‘negligent’ to ignore childhood and early adolescence when trying to understand how such illnesses develop: ‘Sleep can be assessed very early in life and has been found to constitute an early risk indicator of later problems. Sleep disturbances may serve as a red flag for the development of a host of other disorders.’

She said adolescents often suffer from sleep problems before depression develops and therefore detecting the onset of insomnia early was useful.

Dr Gregory added that parents and young people find it easier to discuss sleeping problems than mental illnesses ‘so it can act as a gateway to better communication about those difficulties.’ The researchers pointed to studies that show links between nightmares and ‘night terrors’ and the development of illnesses like schizophrenia.

Children diagnosed with mania or bi-polar disorder are frequently found to sleep irregular patterns and shorter hours. The study also looked at the possibility that nightmares may be a predictor of how likely a child is to attempt suicide in the future. ÷Suffering distress as a child makes you more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes as an adult, researchers have found. They analysed data from more than 7,000 people beginning in 1958, looking at blood samples and blood pressure readings and concluded the risk was ‘significantly higher’ than for people who had normal childhoods.