According to two new studies, the amount of sleep you get every night may have a significant effect on your risk for depression. Sleeping too little, and too much, was linked to depression in adults, while sleeping too little was linked to depression in adolescents.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Washington conducted the first study, which involved 1,788 same-sex adult twin pairs, who were participants in the University of Washington Twin Registry. The participants reported their sleep duration and any symptoms of depression to the researchers.
Their results showed that those who slept a normal amount (7-8.9 hours) a night, had a 27% heritability of depressive symptoms. The participants who slept less than 7 hour s a night or more than 9 hours a night had an increased heritability of depressive symptoms, 53% for less than 7 hours and 49% for more than 9 hours.
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center and the Centers for Disease Control in Vietnam conducted another study, which included 4,175 volunteers, ages 11-17, in the Houston, Texas area. Sleep duration and depression risk were measured for each adolescent.
Sleep deprivation was noted as being a predictor for depression. The participants who slept 6 hours or less a night had an increased risk for depression. In turn, depressive symptoms were not a predictor of sleep deprivation.
Always strive to get your best night of sleep every night! According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults require 7-9 hours of sleep each night to feel rest and stay healthy, while teens need 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep each night. Turn off the lights, cool your room down, power down those electronics, and relax to get to bed earlier tonight!
Via: Huffington Post
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