Insomnia tied to suicide tendency in college women

	Tweet

Poor quality sleep and insomnia are associated with suicidal symptoms among college undergraduates, according to a study of 322 female college students between 19 and 24 years old.

The findings were presented Monday at SLEEP 2008 - the annual gathering of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Consistent with past research, Rebecca A. Bernert of Florida State University and colleagues found that poor sleep quality and insomnia were associated with depressive symptoms. 

But even after controlling for depression, “we found that insomnia and poor sleep quality jointly predicted elevated suicidal symptoms. However, these sleep complaints failed to individually predict increased risk for suicide,” Bernert said.

“These findings are preliminary, but important in several ways,” she told Reuters Health.

“First, they add to evidence suggesting that sleep complaints may present risk for suicide—above and beyond the influence of depression—and across diverse samples and age groups,” Bernert explained.

The findings also underscore the need for further research, “especially longitudinal investigations evaluating poor sleep as a suicide warning sign, vulnerability factor, and intervention tool.”

“This area of research may inform suicide risk assessment and provide a unique opportunity for prevention,” Bernert added.

She encourages anyone having suicidal thoughts to contact their physician; seek immediate care from a mental health professional; or call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

For those suffering from insomnia or other sleep disorder, a visit to your doctor or a sleep specialist can help, Bernert added.

By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)

RELATED STORIES:
Longer sleep times may counteract genetic factors related to weight gain   Lack of Sleep May Raise Risk of Diabetes   Study: Insomnia takes toll on tinnitus patients   Graying America gets wired to cut healthcare costs   Lack of Sleep May Raise Risk of Diabetes   When Snoring Is More Than a Bad Soundtrack   Less Than Six Hours Sleep Can Contribute To Early Death, Says Study   Sleep linked to heart woes   Why Do We Sleep?   Sleeping Pill Death Toll May Top 500,000   Southerners the sleepiest in the US, study says   Trouble sleeping? It may affect your memory later on

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]