Results from a study conducted on 10,000 Australian women have led researchers to believe that sleep disorders are a major factor in the onset of depression in women between the ages of 21 and 25. After years of tossing and turning during the night, an ever increasing sleep debt builds and manifests itself in mood changes and fatigue. Researchers found that women who have suffered problems with sleep for more than nine years were 5 times more likely to have been diagnosed with depression.
Head researcher, Ian Hickie, presented the study and stressed the importance of maintaining healthy and consistent sleep habits. Disruption of sleep has been shown to have a serious impact on the brain and its ability to register and control emotions. Often years of the effects of years of interrupted sleep can be seen as a mental illness, like depression or bipolar disorder. Although regular sleep cycles have yet to be proven to prevent depression research is ongoing. What researchers do know, however, is that establishing good mental health and sleep habits takes time and effort — all well worth it in the long term when considering the benefits to overall health.
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