The Impact of Short Sleep Duration on Depression, Mental Health Days, and Physical Health
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Introduction
Sleep is essential for mental and physical well-being, yet a significant proportion of U.S. adults experience insufficient sleep (<7 hours per night). Short sleep duration has been associated with an increased risk of mental health disorders and poor physical health, but limited studies have quantified these associations.
Objective
This study examines the impact of short sleep duration on depression, self-reported poor mental health days, and poor physical health days.
Methodology
Data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (2016–2023). Sleep duration was categorized as short sleep (<7 hours, coded as 1) or adequate sleep (≥7 hours, coded as 0). The primary outcomes were depression diagnosis, poor mental health days, and poor physical health days. Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) was used to estimate the Average Treatment Effect (ATE), adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors.
Results
Short sleep duration was associated with a 5.6% increased risk of depression (ATE = 0.056, p < 0.001), 2.24 additional poor mental health days per month (ATE = 2.24, p < 0.001), and 1.8 more poor physical health days per month (ATE = 1.76, p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Short sleep duration significantly increases the risk of depression and worsens mental and physical health. Public health interventions promoting sleep hygiene are needed to mitigate these effects and improve overall well-being.
