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Mood disorders, such as depression, are prevalent worldwide and are a leading cause of disability and suffering. Symptoms associated with depression include both psychological symptoms like low mood and physical symptoms like changes in appetite and sleep patterns. Sleep is a fundamental behavior that impacts both mental and physical health, with links to memory consolidation, metabolic functions, and overall well-being.
While there is evidence suggesting a relationship between sleep and mental health problems, the causality is not entirely clear. To investigate further, a study by Hamilton et al. examined the genetic predispositions for altered sleep and their association with depression. The study utilized data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, analyzing genetic risk scores for different sleep traits and depression.
The study found that a higher genetic risk score for short sleep duration was associated with increased odds of developing depression over time. However, genetic risk scores for other sleep durations or depression did not show significant relationships. Sensitivity analyses reinforced these findings, demonstrating a link between short sleep duration and incident depression.
The strengths of the study lie in the use of a large cohort study and genetic summary data for calculating risk scores. However, limitations include the small absolute risk changes associated with sleep PRS and the fixed nature of PRS, which may not fully capture the complexities of sleep and mood changes across the lifespan. Future research could explore the role of previous episodes of depression and the impact of medication use on sleep and mood disorders.
