This page is for health professionals only.

NO
I AM NOT
A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL.
Relationship Between Suicide and Sleep in Adolescence: A Review Study
PDF
Cite
Share
Request
Review
E-PUB
18 September 2026

Relationship Between Suicide and Sleep in Adolescence: A Review Study

Turk J Child Adolesc Ment Health. Published online 18 September 2026.
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 10.01.2025
Accepted Date: 15.05.2025
E-Pub Date: 18.09.2026
PDF
Cite
Share
Request

ABSTRACT

Suicide is defined as a self-inflicted behavior carried out with the intention of causing death. Its etiology is complex and multifactorial, involving the interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. In the current literature, sleep is regarded as a regulated pattern of neural activity across specific brain regions and plays a critical role in the physiological and cognitive functions of the organism. Adolescence is a period marked by increased vulnerability to both suicidal behavior and sleep disturbances. Sleep problems observed in this age group have been significantly associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicides. However, the underlying neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms linking sleep disturbances and suicidal behavior remain largely unclear. In this review, the relationship between suicidal behavior and sleep is examined in light of the current literature, and potential etiopathogenetic connections are discussed.

Keywords:
Adolescent, suicide, sleep

References

1
Eskin M. Gençler arasında intihar davranışları. İçinde: Bildik T, editör. Ergenlik Dönemi ve Ruhsal Bozukluklar. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2018. p. 271-276.
2
Posner K, Brodsky B, Yershova K, Buchanan J, Mann JJ. The classification of suicidal behavior. In: Nock MK, editor. The Oxford Handbook of Suicide and Self-Injury. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2014. p. 7-24.
3
World Health Organization. Suicide worldwide in 2019: global health estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240026643
4
Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. Ölüm ve ölüm nedeni istatistikleri, 2023. Ankara: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu; 2024. Erişim adresi: https://veriportali.tuik.gov.tr/en/press/53709
5
Cortese S, Ivanenko A, Ramtekkar U, Angriman M. Sleep disorders in children and adolescents: a practical guide. In: Rey JM, editor. IACAPAP e-Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions; 2014. Available from: https://iacapap.org/content/uploads/I.4-SLEEP-2014.pdf
6
Yılmaz H. Uyku fizyolojisi ve uykunun işlevi. İçinde: Akıncı E, Orhan FÖ, Demet MM, editörler. Uyku Bozuklukları Tanı ve Tedavi Kitabı. 2nd ed. Ankara: Türkiye Psikiyatri Derneği Yayınları; 2021. p. 19-31.
7
Gowin JL, Stoddard J, Doykos TK, Sammel MD, Bernert RA. Sleep disturbance and subsequent suicidal behaviors in preadolescence. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7:e2433734.
8
Van Meter AR, Knowles EA, Mintz EH. Systematic review and meta-analysis: international prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt in youth. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023;62:973-986.
9
Cheng Y, Tao M, Riley L, Kann L, Ye L, Tian X, Tian B, Hu J, Chen D. Protective factors relating to decreased risks of adolescent suicidal behaviour. Child Care Health Dev. 2009;35:313-322.
10
Jans T, Vloet TD, Taneli Y, Warnke A. Suicide and self-harming behaviour. In: Rey JM, editor. IACAPAP e-Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions; 2018.
11
Braquehais MD, Picouto MD, Casas M, Sher L. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction as a neurobiological correlate of emotion dysregulation in adolescent suicide. World J Pediatr. 2012;8:197-206.
12
Nock MK, Green JG, Hwang I, McLaughlin KA, Sampson NA, Zaslavsky AM, Kessler RC. Prevalence, correlates, and treatment of lifetime suicidal behavior among adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70:300-310.
13
Bridge JA, Goldstein TR, Brent DA. Adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006;47:372-394.
14
Richardson R, Connell T, Foster M, Blamires J, Keshoor S, Moir C, Zeng IS. Risk and protective factors of self-harm and suicidality in adolescents: an umbrella review with meta-analysis. J Youth Adolesc. 2024;53:1301-1322.
15
Agostini A, Centofanti S. Normal sleep in children and adolescence. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2021;30:1-14.
16
Ivanenko A, Johnson K. Sleep disorders. In: Dulcan MK, editor. Dulcan’s Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1st ed. Washington (DC): American Psychiatric Publishing; 2010. p. 449-465.
17
Tetik NG, Kar Şen G. Impact of adolescents’ sleeping problems and habits on the quality of their sleep. J Turk Sleep Med. 2021;8:118-125.
18
Yang H, Luan L, Xu J, Xu X, Tang X, Zhang X. Prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbance among adolescents in the eastern seaboard of China. BMC Public Health. 2024;24:1003.
19
Stores G. Practitioner review: assessment and treatment of sleep disorders in children and adolescents. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1996;37:907-925.
20
Bruni O, Angriman M. Pediatric insomnia. In: Nevšímalová S, Bruni O, editors. Sleep Disorders in Children. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2017. p. 155-184.
21
Kotagal S. Hypersomnia in children. Sleep Med Clin. 2012;7:379-389.
22
Feder MA, Baroni A. Just let me sleep in: identifying and treating delayed sleep phase disorder in adolescents. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2024;47:163-178.
23
Barbe RP, Williamson DE, Bridge JA, Birmaher B, Dahl RE, Axelson DA, Ryan ND. Clinical differences between suicidal and nonsuicidal depressed children and adolescents. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005;66:492-498.
24
Bailly D, Bailly-Lambin I, Querleu D, Beuscart R, Collinet C. Le sommeil des adolescents et ses troubles. Encephale. 2004;30:352-359. French.
25
Choquet M, Menke H. Suicidal thoughts during early adolescence: prevalence, associated troubles and help-seeking behavior. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1990;81:170-177.
26
Nrugham L, Larsson B, Sund AM. Specific depressive symptoms and disorders as associates and predictors of suicidal acts across adolescence. J Affect Disord. 2008;111:83-93.
27
Goldstein TR, Bridge JA, Brent DA. Sleep disturbance preceding completed suicide in adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008;76:84-91.
28
Chen Q, Gong L, Song Y, Zhang J, Han X, Zhou Y, Li L, Jiang X, Hao Y, Zhou H, Lou X, Wang X. Associations between multiple sleep dimensions and suicide and non-suicidal self-injury: a cross-sectional study of 3828 Chinese young people. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2025;60:657-671.
29
Joseph VA, Kreski NT, Keyes KM. Sleep deprivation and suicide risk among minoritized US adolescents. BMC Psychiatry. 2023;23:638.
30
Wang Z, Tang Y, Wang G, Deng Y, Jiang Y, Sun W, Sun X, Ip P, Owens J, Zhao M, Xiao Y, Jiang F, Wang G. Insufficient sleep is associated with increasing trends in adolescent suicidal behaviors. J Adolesc Health. 2024;74:1198-1207.
31
Clark KA, Schafer K, Tran NM, Trautman L, McKay T. The role of sleep duration in suicide risk among sexual and gender minority adolescents. Prev Med. 2023;175:107698.
32
Lu Y, Liu Z, Luo X, Song L, Fan T, Huang C, Shen Y. The association between insomnia and suicide attempts among Chinese adolescents: a prospective cohort study. BMC Psychol. 2024;12:777.
33
Ratzon R, Reiter J, Goltser-Dubner T, Segman R, Weisstub EG, Benarroch F, Ran SRZ, Kianski E, Giesser R, Weinberg PB, Ben-Ari A, Sela Y, Nitsan MB, Lotan A, Shalev A. Sleep measures as a predictor of suicidal ideation among high-risk adolescents. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024;33:2781-2790.
34
Goldstein TR, Franzen PL. A comprehensive review of the literature on sleep difficulties and suicidality in youth to inform an integrative developmental model and future directions. Curr Sleep Med Rep. 2022;8:1-19.
35
Kearns JC, Coppersmith DDL, Santee AC, Insel C, Pigeon WR, Glenn CR. Sleep problems and suicide risk in youth: a systematic review, developmental framework, and implications for hospital treatment. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2020;63:141-151.
36
Bernert RA, Joiner TE. Sleep disturbances and suicide risk: a review of the literature. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2007;3:735-743.
37
Brownlow JA, Klingaman EA, Boland EM, Brewster GS, Gehrman PR. Psychiatric disorders moderate the relationship between insomnia and cognitive problems in military soldiers. J Affect Disord. 2017;221:25-30.
38
Fortier-Brochu É, Beaulieu-Bonneau S, Ivers H, Morin CM. Insomnia and daytime cognitive performance: a meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2012;16:83-94.
39
Noh HJ, Joo EY, Kim ST, Yoon SM, Koo DL, Kim D, Lee GH, Hong SB. The relationship between hippocampal volume and cognition in patients with chronic primary insomnia. J Clin Neurol. 2012;8:130-138.
40
Anderson C, Platten CR. Sleep deprivation lowers inhibition and enhances impulsivity to negative stimuli. Behav Brain Res. 2011;217:463-466.
41
Williams SG, Collen JF, Lettieri CJ. More than just a good night’s sleep. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14:709-710.
42
Palagini L, Moretto U, Novi M, Masci I, Caruso D, Drake CL, Riemann D. Lack of resilience is related to stress-related sleep reactivity, hyperarousal, and emotion dysregulation in insomnia disorder. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14:759-766.
43
Ursin R. Serotonin and sleep. Sleep Med Rev. 2002;6:55-69.
44
Berrouiguet S, Barrigón ML, Castroman JL, Courtet P, Artés-Rodríguez A, Baca-García E. Combining mobile-health (mHealth) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods to avoid suicide attempts: the Smartcrises study protocol. BMC Psychiatry. 2019;19:277.
45
Vgontzas AN, Bixler EO, Lin HM, Prolo P, Mastorakos G, Vela-Bueno A, Kales A, Chrousos GP. Chronic insomnia is associated with nyctohemeral activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: clinical implications. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:3787-3794.
46
Brundin L, Petersén Å, Björkqvist M, Träskman-Bendz L. Orexin and psychiatric symptoms in suicide attempters. J Affect Disord. 2007;100:259-263.
47
Zeng Y, Li W, Chen X, You Z, Mai S, Lan X, Ning Y, Zhou Y. Mediating effect of inflammation on the relationship between sleep disruption and suicidal ideation in major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord. 2024;352:371-378.
48
McCall WV, Black CG. The link between suicide and insomnia: theoretical mechanisms. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2013;15:389.
49
Wong MM, Brower KJ, Zucker RA. Sleep problems, suicidal ideation, and self-harm behaviors in adolescence. J Psychiatr Res. 2011;45:505-511.
50
Liu JW, Tu YK, Lai YF, Lee HC, Tsai PS, Chen TJ, Huang HC, Chen YT, Chiu HY. Associations between sleep disturbances and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep. 2019;42:zsz054.
51
Tishler CL, McKenry PC, Morgan KC. Adolescent suicide attempts: some significant factors. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1981;11:86-92.
52
Drapeau CW, Nadorff MR. Suicidality in sleep disorders: prevalence, impact, and management strategies. Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:213-226.
53
McCall WV, Benca RM, Rosenquist PB, Youssef NA, McCloud L, Newman JC, Case D, Rumble ME, Szabo ST, Phillips M, Krystal AD. Reducing suicidal ideation through insomnia treatment (REST-IT): a randomized clinical trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2019;176:957-965.
54
Pigeon WR, Funderburk JS, Cross W, Bishop TM, Crean HF. Brief CBT for insomnia delivered in primary care to patients endorsing suicidal ideation: a proof-of-concept randomized clinical trial. Transl Behav Med. 2019;9:1169-1177.
55
Duan H, Qin K, Hu L, Liu B, Su G, Zhang H, Xu J, Tu H. Association between sleep duration, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt and suicidal behavior among Chinese adolescents. J Affect Disord. 2024;363:348-357.
56
Gangwisch JE, Babiss LA, Malaspina D, Turner JB, Zammit GK, Posner K. Earlier parental set bedtimes as a protective factor against depression and suicidal ideation. Sleep. 2010;33:97-106.
57
Winsler A, Deutsch A, Vorona RD, Payne PA, Szklo-Coxe M. Sleepless in Fairfax: the difference one more hour of sleep can make for teen hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and substance use. J Youth Adolesc. 2015;44:362-378.
58
Chiu HY, Lee HC, Chen PY, Lai YF, Tu YK. Associations between sleep duration and suicidality in adolescents: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2018;42:119-126.
59
Kim MJ, Shin D, Ahn YM. Association between the number of hours of sleep during weekdays and suicidality among Korean adolescents: mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms. J Affect Disord. 2023;320:74-80.
60
Lopes MC, Boronat AC, Wang YP, Fu-I L. Sleep complaints as risk factor for suicidal behavior in severely depressed children and adolescents. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22:915-920.
61
Fernandes SN, Zuckerman E, Miranda R, Baroni A. When night falls fast: sleep and suicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2024;47:273-286.
62
Ağargün MY, Kara H, Solmaz M. Sleep disturbances and suicidal behavior in patients with major depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 1997;58:249-251.
63
Lopez-Castroman J, Jaussent I. Sleep disturbances and suicidal behavior. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2020;46:211-228.
64
Ohayon MM, Black J, Lai C, Eller M, Guinta D, Bhattacharyya A. Increased mortality in narcolepsy. Sleep. 2014;37:439-444.
65
Gelaye B, Okeiga J, Ayantoye I, Berhane HY, Berhane Y, Williams MA. Association of suicidal ideation with poor sleep quality among Ethiopian adults. Sleep Breath. 2016;20:1319-1326.
66
Zhong Y, He J, Luo J, Zhao J, Cen Y, Wu Y, Song Y, Lin C, Pan L, Luo J. The mediating role of impulsivity between sleep quality and suicidal ideation in adolescent population: a multicenter cross-sectional study in the Northeastern Sichuan, China. Front Psychiatry. 2024;15:1301221.
67
Fernandes SN, Zuckerman E, Miranda R, Baroni A. When night falls fast: sleep and suicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2021;30:269-282.
68
Wu Y, Guo Z, Zhang D, Wang Y, Wang S. Sleep quality and suicidal ideation in adolescent depression: a chain mediation effect of perceived social support and resilience. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2024;31:e2990.
69
Tae H, Jeong BR, Chae JH. Sleep problems as a risk factor for suicide: are certain specific sleep domains associated with increased suicide risk? J Affect Disord. 2019;252:182-189.
70
Song TH, Wang TT, Zhuang YY, Zhang H, Feng JH, Luo TR, Zhou SJ, Chen JX. Nightmare distress as a risk factor for suicide among adolescents with major depressive disorder. Nat Sci Sleep. 2022;14:1687-1697.