A new study is providing evidence that suicide may be more likely to occur at night between 12 am and 4am, compared to daytime and evening hours. This is the first data collected that suggests circadian factors may play a huge role in the risk of suicides, and provide reason as to why insomnia is also a risk factor in suicidal thoughts and behavior.
Presented this week at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual conference of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies as well as published online in the journal SLEEP, the study authors’ results are critical. They found an average suicide rate per hour of 10.27% between 2 am and 2:59 am, compared to an average suicide rate per hour of 2.13% between 6:00am and 11:59 pm. When analyzed from a six hour time block perspective, the frequency of suicide per hour between 12:00am and 5:59am was found to be 3.6 higher than expected.
To account for the portion of the population that who is awake during each hour, researchers used the American Time Use Survey, which gave them information about the hourly proportion of people in the US who were awake, and the National Violent Death Reporting System, for information on estimated time of fatal injuries. 35,332 suicides were accounted for in the analysis.
Suicide is unfortunately the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. More than 38,000 deaths are due to suicide, compared to 16,000 deaths each year due to homicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention.
The results provide useful evidence that treating insomnia could be a way to reduce suicidal risk, with the American Academy of sleep medicine reporting a chronic insomnia disorder episode lasting for at least three months in 10% of adults.
If you have any type of sleep issues or suicidal thoughts, please do not hesitate speak with a licensed physician, sleep specialist, or psychologist to get the help and support that you need to become a healthier and happier you!
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