Staying awake at night and a prolonged failure to achieve a good night’s sleep may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts, a new study has warned.
Staying awake at night and a prolonged failure to achieve a good night’s sleep may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts, a new study has warned.
Researchers from University of Manchester and University of Oxford in the UK interviewed 18 participants about the role sleep problems have on suicidal tendencies.
Three inter-related pathways to suicidal thoughts were identified arising from sleep problems.
The first was that being awake at night heightened the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts, which in part was seen as a consequence of the lack of help or resources available at night.
Researchers also found that a prolonged failure to achieve a good night’s sleep made life harder for respondents, adding to depression, as well as increasing negative thinking, attention difficulties and inactivity.
Respondents said sleep acted as an alternative to suicide, providing an escape from their problems. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Open.
