Twitter Chat: What are the long-term effects of sleeping less?

Sleep is important, or so study after study tells us, but just how important is it? What are the long-term effects of too much or too little sleep? Can the amount we sleep increase the risk of depression? How much sleep is enough sleep?

On Thursday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. EST, PBS NewsHour, Dr. Nathaniel Watson, Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler of the Mayo Clinic and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine will answer those and other questions during a Twitter chat.

Watson was part of a team of researchers from the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas at Austin that recently published a study in journal Sleep on the link between depression sleep in adults. A second study also recently published in the journal Sleep shows a link between depression and sleep in adolescents.

Ask your sleep questions in the comments below or via Twitter using the #NewsHourChats and join us for the chat on Twitter from 1 to 2 p.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 6. Not on Twitter? You can watch the chat live below or check back here after for a transcript.