Sleep deprivation could increase the likelihood that a teen will engage in delinquent behaviors because of its effects on self control, a new study suggests.


Researchers from Florida International University found an association between sleep deprivation and low self-control, as well as an association between low self-control and delinquency.


"The harmful implications of sleep deprivation[1] is a largely under-studied area in criminal justice," study researcher Ryan C. Meldrum, a criminal justice researcher at the university, said in a statement. "Sleep offers us the opportunity for recuperation and restoration, which is especially important for developmental processes in children and adolescents. But even though sleep occupies roughly a third of our time, we are only now beginning to understand its function and the role it plays in antisocial behavior."


The new findings were recently published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence[2] , and based on data from 825 teens who were followed from birth to age 15. Of those teens, half were female, 82 percent were non-Hispanic white, and 59 percent came from a two-parent family.


Researchers took into account other potential factors that could influence delinquency, such as neighborhood context, parenting practices, depressive symptoms and socialization with peers, and found that sleep deprived teens had a higher risk of having low-self control, and that "low self-control is positive related to delinquency."


HuffPost blogger Christopher M. Barnes, who is an assistant professor of management at the University of Washington, recently wrote about how sleep has been shown in other studies to have an impact impulsive behaviors[3] . He wrote:


My research shows that sleep on a given night predicts unethical behavior the next day, through the causal mechanism of self-control. A colleague of mine found that losing as little as two hours of sleep (sleeping six hours instead of eight) lead to deviant behavior at work the next day, again because of the effects of sleep on self-control.


Also on HuffPost:




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  • ...Increase Stroke Risk


    Even without the typical risk factors, like being overweight or having a family history, short sleep can up your risk for stroke, according to 2012 research. Adults who regularly slept fewer than six hours a night had <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/sleep-stroke-risk_n_1586837.html">four times the risk of stroke symptoms</a>, HuffPost reported.




  • ...Lead To Obesity


    Too little sleep can spur some less-than-ideal food choices, including <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/sleep-portion-sizes-deprivation-food-calories_n_2735497.html">serving yourself larger portions</a>, and a hankering for junk food, thanks to some complicated hormonal changes that occur when you don't get sufficient shuteye. It seems that six hours of sleep or less <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/sleep-deprivation-obesity-leptin-ghrelin-insulin_n_2007043.html">bumps up production of the hunger hormone ghrelin</a> and limits leptin, which helps you balance your food intake, according to a 2012 review of 18 studies of sleep and appetite.




  • ...Up Diabetes Risk


    A pair of small studies from 2012 examined the link between poor sleep and insulin resistance, a telltale risk factor for diabetes. One found that among healthy teenagers, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/sleep-insulin-resistance-teens_n_1929374.html">shortest sleepers had the highest insulin resistance</a>, meaning the body is <a href="http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/#resistance">not using insulin effectively</a>, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The second study examined fat cells, in particular, and found that cutting back on sleep <a href="http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1379773">increased insulin resistance in these cells</a>, even when <a href="http://news.health.com/2012/10/15/sleep-deprivation-insulin-resistance/">diet and calorie intake were restricted</a>, Health.com reported.




  • ...Fuel Memory Loss


    You probably know that on the days when you are most tired, you're forgetful and unfocused -- but sleep deprivation can lead to <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130127134212.htm"><em>permanent</em> cognitive issues</a>. The less we sleep, the less we benefit from the memory-storing properties of sleep. But additionally, a lack of sleep can cause <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/sleep-deprivation-memory-loss_n_2566999.html">"brain deterioration,"</a> according to a 2013 study, which may at least in part explain memory loss in seniors.




  • ...Damage Bones


    At least in rats, long-term <a href="http://ebm.rsmjournals.com/content/237/9/1101.full">sleep deprivation seems to contribute to osteoporosis</a>, according to a 2012 study. Researchers found <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/sleep-deprivation-bones-marrow_n_1898610.html">changes to bone mineral density and bone marrow</a> in the rodents when they were deprived of shuteye over a period of 72 days. "If true in humans, and I expect that it may be, this work will have great impact on our understanding of <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/sfeb-los_1091812.php">the impact of sleep deprivation on osteoporosis</a> and inability to repair bone damage as we age," Steven R. Goodman, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said in a statement.




  • ...Increase Cancer Risk


    A small (but growing) body of research suggests that short and poor sleep can up risk for certain types of cancer. A 2010 study found that among 1,240 people screened for colorectal cancer, the 338 who were diagnosed were <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.25507/abstract">more likely to average fewer than six hours of sleep</a> a night. Even after controlling for more traditional risk factors, polyps were more common in people who slept less, according to the study. Getting just six hours of sleep a night has also been linked to an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/sleep-breast-cancer-aggressive-deprivation_n_1854658.html">increase of recurrence in breast cancer patients</a>. The study's author has pointed to more and better sleep as a possible pathway of reducing risk and recurrence.




  • ...Hurt Your Heart


    The stress and strain of too little sleep can cause the body to produce more of the chemicals and hormones that can lead to heart disease, according to 2011 research. The study found that people who slept for six hours or less each night and have problems staying asleep had a 48 percent <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208091426.htm">higher risk of developing or dying from heart disease</a>.




  • ...Kill You


    It's not just heart problems that can lead to sleep-deprivation-related death. In fact, <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/02/lack-of-sleep-can-cause-depression-weight-gain-and-even-death/">short sleepers seem to die younger</a> of any cause than people who sleep about 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night, TIME reported. A 2010 study examined the impact of short sleep on mortality and found that <a href="http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27894">men who slept for less than six hours of sleep a night were four times more likely</a> to die over a 14-year period. The study's authors called this link "a risk that has been underestimated."




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