Are you an early riser or a night owl?
The question may seem trivial, but US researchers say the time you sleep can have a big impact on your health.
Scientists have even established bedtimes that should not be exceeded in order to maintain mental health.
Experts and scientists agree that sleep plays a vital role in our mental and physical health.
From focus and mood to energy levels, diabetes and even heart health, getting the right amount and quality of sleep can help maintain your health.
A team of researchers from Stanford University backed this up with a study that established a link between late bedtimes and poor mental health.
Each of us has our own unique chronotype, or biological rhythm.
The question is, should you follow this rhythm to stay healthy?
In other words, if you have more energy in the mornings, should you always go to bed earlier in order to wake up earlier, and vice versa if you’re a night owl?
Researchers sought to answer this question by analysing data from the UK Biobank research database on 73,888 adults with an average age of 63.5 years.
Participants were asked to provide information about their sleep, specifically their tendency to sleep at certain times (i.e., their chronotype).
They were also asked to use a wearable activity monitor to track their actual sleep over a seven-day period.
The scientists wanted to see how participants’ chronotypes matched up with their behavior.
The scientists noted that over 19,000 participants declared themselves to be morning people, and over 6,800 were slower chronotypes.
But the majority – about 48,000 participants – were in the middle, an “intermediate” chronotype.
They also noted that the sleep data collected was linked to data from participants’ medical records about their mental health.
Published in a journal Psychiatric ResearchThe results suggest that later bedtimes are associated with higher rates of mental and behavioral disorders, regardless of individual preferences.
In a news release, the researchers explained they were surprised by their discovery that “matching one’s chronotype may not be the best choice for everyone’s mental health.”
In fact, they found that, at least for night owls, it was better not to follow the rhythm that felt best to them.
The discovery was so surprising that scientists tried to disprove it, but to no avail.
“The results were clear: both morning types and evening types who went to bed later were associated with higher rates of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety,” the researchers concluded.
Furthermore, their findings suggest that the risk of mental illness may be particularly high among participants who habitually go to bed and wake up late.
The latter were 20 to 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder than night owls who wake up early, or at least don’t get up late.
Although the researchers looked at sleep duration and sleep consistency to validate their findings, these two measures did not explain the differences in mental health observed between participants.
While researchers acknowledge that it’s difficult to go against your chronotype, they still recommend going to bed before 1 a.m. for better mental health.
The researchers did not explain the mechanism behind this association, but suggested it could be because people are more likely to make poor decisions later in the night.
“Many harmful behaviors, including suicidal thoughts, violent crime, alcohol and drug use, and overeating, are more prevalent at night,” a news release from the study said.
“A theory known as the ‘midnight mind’ hypothesis suggests that neurological and physiological changes late at night may contribute to impulsivity, negative mood, poor judgment and a tendency to take risks.” – AFP Relaxnews
