Sleep deprivation is a crucial component of the rise of mental health issues among youth.

Question

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-07-22/mental-health-sleep-deprivation-teens

Only 20% of high schoolers are getting adequate sleep at night. Furthermore, there is evidence that this lack of sleep is linked to depression, anxiety, and even suicide rates. It also is related to lack of judgement and impulsive tendencies, and it is important to modify one's behavior to improve their sleeping habits.

Answer 1

This claim is 100% valid and draws from a reliable source in the latimes. I think when looking at the rise of mental health issues in youth it's also important to note the various factors that contribute to a sleep deprivation and a lack of a consistent sleep schedule. Teenagers and children have grown up constantly on their phones, lowering their attention span and causing increased risk of lack of sleep. 90% of included studies in a literature review found an association between screen time and delayed bedtime or decreased total sleep. Going to bed on time gives our bodies a chance to rest and recover, however, often teenagers are so glued to their phone and doom scrolling that they forget to put it down to go to bed.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5839336/#:~:text=Summary,and%20the%20majority%20of%20adolescents.&text=In%20a%20recent%20literature%20review,or%20decreased%20total%20sleep%20time.&text=Proposed%20mechanisms%20include%20displacement%20of,exposure%2C%20and%20increased%20physiological%20alertness.&text=This%20pervasive%20phenomenon%20of%20pediatric,to%20foster%20healthy%20sleep%20habits.

Comments

I really like the way you turned this around onto phone usage and doom scrolling. I think this plays an important role in both sleep deprivation and mental health issues combined and this helped me to connect the dots.

Answer 2

This is a true claim that is backed not only by the reputable source offered in the post but by other studies. According to "Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic" by Stanford Medicine, teens need at least 5 hours of sleep and even then can show signs of sleep deprivation. There are multiple factors contributing to a lack of sleep, from school work to social pressures. A lack of sleep can impact their control and the way they experience their emotions. 

Comments

This is a good fact-check! I appreciate the way you included your research from Stanford Medicine.

Answer 3

This claim is true and readers can trust that it is fact-checked as the LA Times is a known and reliable source. Additionally, there are many other reports for example the Surgeon General's Health Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. In his research, Dr. Vivek Murthy explains that children who spend increased time on social media get less sleep and have higher rates of depression and anxiety.

Answer 4

This claim is true and can be backed by research. According to the National Library of Medicine, an online library filled with factual journal articles, sleep deprivation in adolescents is correlated with mental health issues in young adults. The research provided proves this claim and provides logical evidence to support the LA Times article.

Excerpt: " In fact, insomnia in the general teenage population is associated with mental health difficulties later in life and increased risk of interpersonal problems and psychiatric disturbances, which may include mood and anxiety disorders, risk-taking behaviors, substance use disorders, and higher suicidal risk [15,16,17]"

Article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10136689/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20insomnia%20in%20the,15%2C16%2C17%5D.

Answer 5

This claim has evidence to support it and is appropriately calling out causes and effects. I found multiple articles that neatly illustrate the steps in the argument. Firstly, according to the CDC in this article, more than two-thirds of students are not getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night; according to this article from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, teenagers ages 13 to 18 should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day. Finally, this article from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine details the effects that this can have on a person, stating, "insufficient sleep in teenagers has been found to increase the risk of depression and is associated with increased risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts".

Answer 6

The claim of the LA Times article is that getting efficient sleep would benefit teenagers’ mental health and improve their decision-making. The LA Times is a considerably reliable source, although in this article they comment and connect on other studies rather than publishing their own. While they do fail to properly reference the numerous sources they use in their article, statistics about alarming mental health from a study done by the CDC, along with the inclusion of a sleep-focused MD’s opinion on the subject, are few of the vast number of sources they link to.

A further investigation on the subject reveals a separate CDC article focused on the dangers behind lack of sleep specifically. The data in that article is consistent with the claim. Another source from the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit organization, in 2023 bases its own studies on the effects of sleep deprivation, tying closely with the symptoms the CDC has also exposed. The main claim of the article seems to be true!

Cited Sources:

Lewis, Lisa L. “Op-Ed: Sleep Deprivation Is an Important Part of Our Youth Mental Health Crisis.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022, www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-07-22/mental-health-sleep-deprivation-teens.

Jones, Sherry Everett, et al. “Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness among High School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic - Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Mar. 2022, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7103a3.htm#:~:text=More%20than%20one%20in%20three,12%20months%20before%20the%20survey.

“Maida Lynn Chen, MD.” Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle Children’s, www.seattlechildrens.org/directory/maida-lynn-chen/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

“FastStats: Sleep in High School Students.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/sleep/data-research/facts-stats/high-school-students-sleep-facts-and-stats.html.

2023 Sleep in America Poll, National Sleep Foundation, 9 Mar. 2023, www.thensf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NSF-2023-Sleep-in-America-Poll-Report.pdf.