Anxiety linked to hour’s lost sleep

MISSING out on an hour’s sleep a night can cause depression.

The recommended amount of daily shut-eye is seven to nine hours.

But research involving more than 20,000 people found those sleeping six hours were 60 to 80 per cent more likely to feel restless, nervous, anxious and hopeless.

Researchers from Georgia Southern University found those who sleep less than five hours are three to four times more likely to suffer negative emotions.

The link between sleeplessness and negative emotions was strongest in women in the months or years leading up to the menopause, the journal Neurology, Psychiatry and Brain Research reported.

Those who miss out on sleep miss out on ‘housekeeping’ time used by the brain to process new memories and manage older ones.

This can lead them to become fixated on repeated negative thoughts.