Consistently sleeping less than five hours a night could increase the risk of depression, research suggests. Poor sleep has been considered a side-effect of mental ill health in the past, but the new study found that the link between sleep and mental illness is more complex. People with a stronger genetic predisposition to short sleep – less than five hours in a given night – were more likely to develop depressive symptoms over four to 12 years, the study led by UCL researchers found. But those with a greater genetic predisposition to depression were not more likely to have short sleep. Using genetic susceptibility to disease, we determined that sleep likely precedes depressive symptoms, rather than the inverse Lead author Odessa Hamilton The experts also found that the link was not exclusive to those who were genetically inclined towards sleeping for shorter periods, and people who regularly dozed for five hours or less – without the genetic association – were also more likely to have depression. Lead author Odessa Hamilton, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “We have this chicken or egg scenario between suboptimal sleep duration and depression, they frequently co-occur, but which comes first is largely unresolved. “Using genetic susceptibility to disease, we determined that sleep likely precedes depressive symptoms, rather than the inverse.” Researchers used genetic and health data from 7,146 people recruited by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), with an average age of 65. Short and long sleep durations, along with depression, are major contributors to (the) public health burden that are highly heritable Senior author Dr Olesya Ajnakina Analysis of genetic and health data suggested that short sleep was associated with the start of depressive symptoms, like feeling sad or lonely. Senior author Dr Olesya Ajnakina, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: “Short and long sleep durations, along with depression, are major contributors to (the) public health burden that are highly heritable. “Polygenic scores, indices of an individual’s genetic propensity for a trait, are thought to be key in beginning to understand the nature of sleep duration and depressive symptoms.” When looking at non-genetic associations between depressive symptoms and sleep duration, the researchers also found that people sleeping five hours or less were 2.5 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms. And people with signs of depression were a third more likely to suffer from short sleep. Suboptimal sleep and depression increase with age, and with the worldwide phenomenon of population ageing there is a growing need to better understand the mechanism connecting depression and a lack of sleep Professor Andrew Steptoe The study, published in Nature, Translational Psychiatry, also revealed a link between sleeping long and developing depressive symptoms. According to the findings, people who slept for more than nine hours were 1.5 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms than those who sleep an average of seven hours. However, depressive symptoms were not associated with sleeping longer four to 12 years later, which corresponded to the genetic findings. Professor Andrew Steptoe, head of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “Suboptimal sleep and depression increase with age, and with the worldwide phenomenon of population ageing there is a growing need to better understand the mechanism connecting depression and a lack of sleep. “This study lays important groundwork for future investigations on the intersection of genetics, sleep, and depressive symptoms.” People enrolled in the study had an average of seven hours’ sleep a night. More than 10% slept for less than five hours a night at the start of the study period, rising to more than 15% at the end of the study. The proportion of people classed as having depressive symptoms increased by about three percentage points, from 8.75% to 11.47%. In the study, data on sleep and depressive symptoms were combined from two Elsa surveys conducted two years apart, as sleep duration and depression are known to fluctuate over time. Sleep duration and depression are both partly inherited from one generation to the next. Earlier studies have suggested depression is about 35% heritable, and that genetic differences account for 40% of the variance in sleep duration. Read More World Osteoporosis Day: The risk factors and early warning signs everyone needs to know about How to support a child with a stammer From colourful gowns to drones, these wedding trends are set take over 2024 Call The Midwife ‘should come with a health warning’ Halloween: 10 wicked ways to kit out your haunted house Black magic: Go back to black this season with the catwalk-inspired trend

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Joe Alwyn has attended a dinner hosted by Celine artistic director Hedi Slimane during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The British actor was photographed at the event at Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc on Monday night (22 May). It marks the 32-year-old’s first appearance at a public event since he and Taylor Swift reportedly split up in April after six years together. Alwyn, who has writing credits for several of Swift’s songs under the pseudonym William Bowery, stepped out in a pale pink satin button-down shirt, a black suit jacket and black trousers. Other celebrities who attended the fashion house’s intimate dinner included model Kaia Gerba, Blackpink member Lisa, and BTS member V. Neither Alwyn nor Swift, 33, have publicly addressed or confirmed their break-up. The pair preferred to keep their relationship private when they were dating and rarely spoke about one another with the press. Entertainment Tonight first reported the split, quoting a source as saying that the “relationship had just run its course” and that the split was “not dramatic”. Another source told People on 10 April that the couple “had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together”. However, the couple “ultimately” decided that they “weren’t the right fit for one another”, the source added. The “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” singer is currently on her Eras Tour, which began on 18 March and is set to end on 9 August. Alwyn, who usually attended Swift’s shows in support of the singer, had not been seen at any of her concerts since the tour began. Swift sparked rumours that she has been dating The 1975 frontman Matty Healy after he appeared at several of her shows and joined Phoebe Bridgers on-stage to open the pop star’s show in Nashville. Healy, 34, played the guitar during Bridgers’ song “Motion Sickness”. The two musicians have been spotted multiple times together since she ended things with Alwyn, including at several locations in New York City. This week, Swift told her audience in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that she has “never been this happy in my life in all aspects of my life ever” amid the rumoured romance. A video shared to TikTok showed the singer saying: “It’s not just a tour, I just sort of feel like my life finally feels like it makes sense. So I thought I’d play this song which brings me a lot of happy memories.” Read More Maya Hawke raises eyebrows at Cannes as she pirouettes down red carpet Taylor Swift tells fans she’s ‘never been this happy’ amid rumoured Matty Healy romance Sylvester Stallone’s daughters call Rocky star a ‘savant’ when it comes to their dating lives Taylor Swift tells fans she’s ‘never been this happy’ amid Matty Healy rumours Let’s not judge Taylor and Matty – rebound relationships aren’t always doomed Taylor Swift fans in dismay over new photo ‘confirming’ Matty Healy romance

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