Teenagers who sleep poorly or suffer from frequent night awakenings are significantly more likely to attempt suicide by late adolescence, a new study from the University of Warwick reveals.
Published in Sleep Advances, the research is among the first to establish a long-term relationship between sleep disturbances at age 14 and subsequent suicide attempts at age 17, even after accounting for depression and other known risk factors.
A Crisis Hidden Behind Lost Sleep
Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people in the UK. Although teens are known to sleep less due to biological and social changes, the implications of this sustained sleep loss on mental health are only now becoming clear.
The study analysed data from over 8,500 participants in the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of UK youth. Researchers observed that adolescents who went to bed later, slept fewer total hours, or woke frequently during the night were at higher risk for self-harm and suicide attempts within three years.
“These results show that poor sleep isn’t merely a symptom of other difficulties — it’s a significant risk factor in itself,” said Michaela Pawley, lead author and PhD candidate at the University of Warwick’s Department of Psychology. “Addressing sleep problems could become an essential part of suicide prevention strategies.”
Disrupted Sleep Outweighs Traditional Risk Factors
The findings reveal that short sleep duration and frequent night awakenings at age 14 were stronger predictors of suicide attempts than depressive symptoms or socioeconomic status, both established indicators of suicide risk.
Even after controlling for factors like gender, family income, and previous mental health issues, the relationship between poor sleep and suicidal behaviours persisted.
According to the researchers, adolescents reporting fewer than seven hours of sleep on school nights or multiple awakenings were over twice as likely to attempt suicide by age 17 compared with their peers with healthy sleep patterns.
The Role of Decision-Making in Protecting Teens
An unexpected insight emerged from the study: cognitive abilities may buffer some of the risk. Teenagers with stronger rational decision-making skills appeared to be partially protected against the mental health impacts of sleep disruption.
However, this protective benefit diminished with more frequent sleep fragmentation. Chronic sleep deprivation likely compromises judgment, emotional regulation, and impulse control — functions crucial to preventing high-risk behaviours.
“These cognitive factors are promising because they help us understand why some adolescents cope better than others,” Pawley explained. “It points to ways we might strengthen resilience in teens who struggle with sleep.”
Why Teenagers Struggle to Sleep
Researchers note that adolescence is a critical stage for brain and hormonal changes that naturally shift sleep patterns. Biological delays in melatonin production make it harder for teens to fall asleep early, while academic pressures, social media use, and early school start times further restrict sleep.
The Warwick Sleep and Pain Lab, led by senior author Professor Nicole Tang, emphasizes that insufficient or fragmented rest can wear down mental defences, exacerbating feelings of hopelessness or impulsivity.
“Sleep deprivation is not a trivial complaint,” Professor Tang said. “It can impair emotional thinking and push behaviours toward dangerous decisions that have life-or-death consequences. Identifying and supporting teens with sleep problems could drastically reduce suicide attempts.”
Sleep and the Adolescent Brain
Poor sleep affects key brain regions governing emotion and reasoning, including the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Studies have shown that disrupted sleep reduces the ability to regulate stress and heightens reactivity to negative emotions.
Furthermore, nighttime rumination — lying awake while replaying stressful events — can increase emotional distress and suicidal ideation. Chronic lack of rest thus cultivates a toxic cycle that reinforces poor mental health and maladaptive coping strategies.
Widely Supported Findings Across Recent Studies
The Warwick findings echo similar research published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Medical Xpress, confirming that adolescent sleep loss correlates with self-harm, emotional instability, and higher rates of suicide ideation.
Those studies also found that 70% of today’s teenagers fail to get enough sleep, averaging less than seven hours on school nights — far below the 8–10 hours recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
Experts stress that poor sleep is a modifiable risk factor, meaning it can be improved through interventions such as consistent bedtimes, digital curfews, and addressing anxiety-related insomnia through cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Modifiable Risk Factors: Building Better Sleep Habits
Unlike many mental health risks, teens’ sleep patterns can be improved through relatively simple, evidence-based interventions.
Practical approaches include:
Encouraging fixed wake and bedtimes, even on weekends
Limiting screen exposure an hour before bed
Teaching stress-reduction techniques like mindfulness or journaling
Reforming school schedules to start later for adolescents
Several international trials have demonstrated that later school start times significantly enhance teen mood, reduce self-harm rates, and increase academic engagement.
Public Health and Policy Implications
The study calls for integrating sleep health into national youth suicide prevention programmes. Sleep screening could become part of standard psychological assessments in schools and healthcare settings.
Given that sleep is cheap, measurable, and treatable, researchers argue it should become a cornerstone of adolescent mental health strategies.
“There’s immense potential here,” Professor Tang said. “Unlike other risk factors, sleep problems can be detected early and fixed with non-medical interventions. That gives us a tangible way to save lives.”
Limitations and Future Directions
Although the study provides the strongest evidence yet connecting sleep loss to adolescent suicide risk, the authors caution that correlation does not prove direct causation.
Further research is needed to understand why poor sleep leads to suicidal behaviour — whether through neurobiological stress changes, social isolation, or emotional dysregulation. Future studies will also explore how online nighttime activity, caffeine use, and academic workload contribute to reduced rest and mental health deterioration.
A Wake-Up Call for Parents and Schools
For parents, the research underscores the importance of establishing supportive environments where sleep is prioritised as a component of wellbeing. Simple awareness campaigns can make a measurable difference.
Experts advise parents to foster nightly routines and treat chronic insomnia as a serious health concern, rather than a normal part of teenage growth. At the policy level, integrating sleep education into health curricula could normalise conversations about rest and its connection to emotional resilience.
Sleep as a Lifeline
The University of Warwick’s research paints a clear picture. Consistently poor sleep dramatically increases teenagers’ risk of attempting suicide within a few years. Fragmented sleep also has the same effect.
While insufficient rest may seem minor compared to other risk factors, its effects are profound and far-reaching.
Sleep should be treated as a cornerstone of mental health. Schools, families, and public health agencies could then intervene earlier. This proactive approach could save countless lives.
As Professor Tang summarized, “Teenagers need more than advice to ‘just go to bed earlier.’ They need support systems that make healthy sleep possible — because better sleep can save lives.”
