According to research, more people in Britain are sleeping less than five hours as well as having problems with sleep disorders, which boosts the rates of depression.
Research from University College London in the UK found that sleeping less than five hours a night raises the risk of depression.
Especially in the young and middle-aged population, due to the influence of multiple factors in the work environment and study environment, more people have difficulty sleeping due to stress, and even serious need to take drugs and alcohol to alleviate sleep problems.
The length of time people sleep and the likelihood of depression are not individually determined, but instead may be genetically linked. Early results from the Longitudinal Study of Ageing in Britain (LSAS) showed that shows that depression is about 35% heritable, and that genetic differences account for 40% of the variance in sleep duration.
Brian turner, 76, Retired physician
“I averaged about six hours sleep a day when I was younger because I was very busy with work, now I sleep 6 hours but more because my body doesn’t need more sleep anymore. I have never had insomnia but my friend patients and friends have experienced this and I tell them they can alleviate the problem by keeping their sleeping environment hygienic and comfortable.”
Chris, 59, Medical secretary
“Yes, 8 hours is pretty much my average sleep time per day, and since I don’t let my mind get loaded with things it’s not bad. But my friends have had insomnia situations where they have had too much stress at work or even marital problems, which yes they have a completely different mental outlook than I do.”
kieran, 29, software programmer
“I sleep about 7 hours a day, and I’m lucky to have almost no insomnia, but my girlfriend is the opposite, she can’t sleep when she’s stressed and her brain is so messed up that she can’t do anything but push through the night, and the next day she’s very tired and moody, so it’s really important to get a good night’s sleep!”
Anmine, 23, Beauty therapist
“Most of the time I can sleep up to 9 to 10 hours, sometimes when the work is too stressful I have insomnia, even sleep for a few hours, at such times I will overnight to finish the work and then take a hot bath before trying to sleep, without a full night’s sleep really affects the quality of the work that follows.”
Luke, 17, student
“My friends have had insomnia all night, but I don’t know exactly how they deal with it, but usually they can’t come to school the next day, or they show up at school very tired with a cup of coffee in hand, I’ve stayed up all night on occasion, but a cup of coffee gives me energy again!”