Staying Up Late Tied to Poorer Mental Health
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, June 4, 2024 -- Going to bed late, regardless of natural inclination, is associated with poorer mental health, according to a study published online May 19 in Psychiatry Research.
Renske Lok, Ph.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues assessed how chronotype, sleep timing, and the alignment between the two impact mental health. The analysis included a community-dwelling cohort of middle- and older-aged adults participating in the U.K. Biobank (73,888 adults).
The researchers found that compared with morning types with early behavior (aligned), morning types with late behavior (misaligned) had a significantly increased risk for having mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders (MBN); depression; and anxiety. Evening types with early behavior (misaligned) had a significantly decreased risk for depression, with a trend for MBN and anxiety, compared with evening types with late behavior (aligned). Longitudinal analyses confirmed the cross-sectional findings with the likelihood of developing de novo mental health disorders associated with chronotype, behavioral timing, and alignment between the two. The authors advised going to bed before 1 a.m., regardless of chronobiological preferences.
"We found that alignment with your chronotype is not crucial here, and that really it’s being up late that is not good for your mental health," senior author Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., also from Stanford University, said in a statement. "The big unknown is why."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Health Status, Mental Health Worsened in U.S. Transgender Adults From 2014 to 2022
TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 -- Health status, mental health, and health inequities worsened in the United States from 2014 to 2022 among transgender (TGD) adults, according to a...
Maternal Distress Tied to Changes in Brain Growth of Offspring
FRIDAY, June 21, 2024 -- Regional neonatal brain volumes are associated with elevated maternal psychological distress, according to a study published online June 20 in JAMA...
Poll Reveals Americans Worried Climate Change Is Affecting Mental Health
WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 -- Many Americans believe that their mental health is being harmed by climate change, according to the results of a new poll conducted by the American...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.