Sleep and Screen Time for Teen Brains | #36
Plus: new studies on back pain, impact of food structures on appetites, and long-term effects of psilocybin for depression
Greetings!
This month, at long last, I underwent a scheduled shoulder surgery to relieve long-term chronic pain and inflammation.
Deciding to have surgery wasn’t a decision I took lightly, and I took the decision only after several other interventions. I wrote up the whole story in a post this month, including what my recovery has been like so far.
If you’re interested or are wrestling with a similar decision as to whether to undergo surgery, I encourage you to check it out here.
And now, on to this month’s new research:
#1: Weekend Snooze Eases Teen Anxiety
In a study of 1,877 adolescents (average age ~13.5) monitored via wearable devices, researchers examined the effects of “catch-up” sleep on weekends. They found that teens who slept up to two extra hours on weekend nights (compared to school nights) reported fewer anxiety symptoms than those who kept the same schedule or overslept drastically.
Both very little and very large differences in weekend sleep were associated with higher anxiety, suggesting there’s a sweet spot. Moderately extending sleep on the weekends may help teens recover from weekday sleep loss and improve their mental well-being.
#2: Colorful Diet Tied to Longer, Healthier Life
In a long-term study tracking over 120,000 middle-aged adults for more than a decade, those who ate a wide variety of flavonoid-rich foods (like tea, berries, apples, and dark chocolate) were less likely to develop chronic diseases and had lower overall mortality.
Higher total flavonoid intake (around 500 mg per day, about two cups of tea) was linked to a 10–16% reduction in risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and death. But importantly, people who got their flavonoids from a more diverse range of plant foods had even greater protection than those consuming the same total amount from limited sources.
The results, published in Nature Food, suggest that “eating the rainbow” of fruits and veggies truly contributes to longevity and disease prevention.
#3: Food’s Structure Can Curb Appetite Hormones
A small pilot trial with 10 healthy adults tested how the physical structure of food affects digestion and hunger signals. Participants spent four days in a clinic eating special meals made from chickpeas that were processed in different ways: some meals had intact cell structures, while others were blended into “broken” cells. The researchers found that intact-structure meals led to a slower rise in blood sugar and a prolonged release of gut hormones (like GLP-1 and PYY) that promote fullness, compared to the broken-cell meals. In contrast, the more processed meal caused a quick spike in blood glucose and insulin.
These findings (in Nature Metabolism) highlight that less-processed, structurally intact foods may keep us fuller longer and could help in managing obesity and diabetes.
#4: Water Workouts & Walking Soothe Back Pain
A randomized controlled trial in people with chronic low back pain compared an aquatic exercise therapy program to standard care. Participants who did guided exercise in a pool not only strengthened their core muscles but also reported notable improvements in pain-related fears and sleep disturbances versus those who received usual care. The buoyancy of water likely eased pressure on the spine, helping patients overcome “kinesiophobia” (fear of movement due to pain).
These early results, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that pool therapy can benefit both the body and mind in chronic back pain sufferers, though further research will solidify its role in rehab programs.
Meanwhile, according to a JAMA Network Open study, increasing your daily walking time could protect against developing chronic low back pain.
In this prospective study of 11,194 adults (age 20+ with no back pain at start) tracked with wearable activity sensors, those who walked for about 100–125 minutes or more per day had a roughly 23% lower risk of reporting chronic low back pain over the next few years compared to those who walked less.
Higher walking intensity helped too, but total walking time showed the strongest effect. Yet more evidence that simply getting out and walking regularly – an easy, low-cost activity – might substantially reduce one’s chances of persistent back pain.
If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.
— Hippocrates
#5: Single Psilocybin Dose Lifts Depression for Years
An early-phase clinical trial has found remarkable long-term benefits from a one-time dose of psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in “magic mushrooms”) for patients with cancer-related depression.
In this phase II study, 28 patients with cancer and major depression received a supervised therapy session with a single 25-mg psilocybin dose. Two years later, about half of the patients were still in depression remission, and roughly 54% had sustained significant reduction in depressive symptoms; anxiety levels also improved in 43% of participants.
These lasting effects, reported in Cancer, point to the potential of combining psychedelics with therapy to provide enduring relief from depression and existential distress in people facing serious illness.
#6: Screen-Time Blues: Poor Sleep Hurts Teen Brains
New research is untangling why heavy screen use and teen depression often go hand-in-hand. In a study of about 1,000 adolescents using surveys and brain scans, scientists looked at daily screen time, sleep habits, and brain white matter integrity.
Teens who spent more hours on smartphones or tablets and slept less showed more disorganized white matter connections in brain regions tied to memory, attention, and emotion regulation – almost like “bumpy backroads” instead of smooth highways in the brain.
These same teens scored higher on depression measures. The findings (published in JAMA Pediatrics) suggest that screen overuse may contribute to depression via its impact on sleep and brain development, highlighting the importance of good sleep hygiene in the digital age.