Sleeping less than five hours a night can raise depression risk, study suggests

Research at UCL, in Britain, found people sleeping five hours or less were 2.5 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms. But those with depressive symptoms were just a third more likely to suffer from short sleep. Photograph: Maudib/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Sleeping less than five hours a night could raise the risk of developing symptoms of depression, research suggests.

The link between poor sleep and mental ill health is well known, but it has been unclear which problem tends to come first. Now scientists have found evidence that consistent short sleep at night can be a precursor to developing depressive symptoms.