With many of us not required to be at the office by 9 am, our night-time routines have slackened and we may not be getting adequate amounts of sleep. Studies show that insufficient sleep increases the likelihood of feelings of depression, hopelessness, restlessness and nervousness. Getting less than 5-hours sleep increases the odds of these symptoms by 3-4 fold, whilst less than optimal sleep (6 hours/day) increases the odds by 60-80%.
Sleep deprivation also has devastating effects on immune function. Getting 6 hours of sleep for 8 consecutive days is associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and impaired immune function.
