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Going to bed earlier protects teenagers against depression and suicidal thoughts, New York research suggests. Of 15,500 12 to 18-year-olds studied, those who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went before 2200.

紐約研究顯示，早點睡覺可讓年輕人不得憂鬱症，也沒有自殺念頭。1萬5500名12到18歲的受試者中，午夜以後才上床的人，罹患憂鬱症的比率，比10點前睡覺的高24%。

And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depression than those who slept eight hours, the journal Sleep reports. It is estimated 80,000 UK children and young people have depression.

睡眠期刊報導，每天晚上睡不到5小時的人，罹患憂鬱症的比率，比睡8小時的人高71%。 據估計，英國約有8萬名孩童與年輕人有憂鬱症。

The researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York looked at data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s. One in 15 of those studied were found to have depression.

紐約哥倫比亞大學醫學中心的研究人員，觀察在1990年代蒐集的1萬5500名青少年的資料。接受研究的人，15分之1有憂鬱症。

As well as the higher risk of depression, those who were set a bedtime by their parents of after midnight were 20% more likely to think about suicide than those whose bedtime was 2200 or earlier.

被父母規定要在午夜之後上床的人，憂鬱症的機率較高之外，有自殺念頭的比率，也比10點或更早一點上床睡覺的人要高20%。

Those who had less than five hours sleep a night were thought to have a 48% higher risk of suicidal thoughts compared with those who had eight hours of sleep.

晚上睡不到5小時的人，出現自殺念頭的風險，要比每天睡8小時者多出48%。

新聞辭典

depression：名詞，憂鬱症。

midnight：名詞，午夜。burn/consume the midnight oil指挑燈夜讀、熬夜工作、開夜車。

bedtime：名詞，就寢時間。例句：Eleven o’clock is past my bedtime.

（11點已經過了我的睡覺時間。）

自由時報-990218