Night owls should probably start going to bed earlier.
A recent Stanford University study published in the journal Psychiatry Research found that going to bed after 1:00 a.m. can lead to the following problems: mental health issues.
The researchers analysed data from more than 73,000 adults in the UK, looking at their chronotype (the tendency to rise early or stay up late) and actual sleep times.
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The study then examined the alignment between the two and the prevalence of mental, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental disorders (MBN). depression and anxiety,
The study found that people who go to bed early in the morning display “better mental health” than those who go to bed late.
people who wake up early in the morning go to bed late There is an increased risk of MBN, depression, and anxiety.
People who sleep late in the evening were also found to have poorer mental health. In contrast, people who wake up early in the evening have a lower risk of developing depression.
Based on these findings, researchers recommend going to bed before 1:00 a.m., regardless of your preference.
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The study’s co-author, Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in California, said he was surprised by the results.
“This was not at all what we expected,” he wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. “We spent over a year trying to prove our findings wrong, but could find no alternative explanation.”
The researchers originally hypothesized that people who kept their actual sleep times more in line with their morning/evening preference would have the best mental health, Zeitzer explained — but that wasn’t the case.
“Rather, we found that staying up late was associated with poorer mental health, regardless of bedtime,” he added.
Good sleep is “crucial to establish a pillar for health” Good mental healthAccording to Zeitzer, “This is a huge mistake.”
“Poor sleep does not necessarily cause poor mental health, but it can certainly promote poor mental health,” he said.
“There are many aspects of sleep that contribute (to mental health), including duration (which we looked at in our study) and timing (which we examined directly in our study).”
While it may not be harmful for night owls to stick to their preferred nighttime sleep schedule, research highlights that it may be risky for some people.
“We’re not clear why this is, but it may be due to the isolation that often occurs in such cases.” late night behavior,” He said.
“Therefore, it is important to be aware of how you spend your late nights and whether these behaviours are conducive to good mental health.”
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Dr. Wendy Troxel, a Utah-based sleep expert who was not involved in the study, agreed that the findings are “very interesting” — particularly the fact that going to bed late, regardless of a person’s natural tendency, is linked to poorer mental health.
“These findings underscore that sleep health is a multi-faceted condition,” Troxel said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It’s not just a matter of getting enough sleep or having good quality sleep, but the timing also matters.”
He added that not getting enough sleep has an adverse effect on mental health because it “impacts the brain systems that regulate emotions.”
“Regularly going to sleep too late (i.e., after 1 a.m.) may lead to impaired decision-making and emotion regulation, which may be associated with mental health problems, e.g. depression and anxiety,” He said.
The results of the study are also interesting when applied to specific groups of people who stay up at night. like teenagersTroxel said.
“Biologically, teenagers have a tendency to stay up late and go to bed late, which conflicts with early school start times,” he said.
“This can cause them to suffer a ‘double whammy’ of both insufficient sleep and delayed sleep, which can contribute to mental health problems — a major factor Public health issue among adolescents.”
Troxel recommends taking the following steps to improve sleep quality.
At first, gradually move bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each week.
Next, click Allow Plenty of sunshine He recommends keeping lights dim in the morning, since sunlight is “one of the most powerful cues that help set circadian rhythms.” Keep lights dim in the evening.
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Finally, Troxel suggests keeping an eye on your sleep schedule, even on weekends.
Although it may be challenging, especially for night owls, shifting your bedtime and wake-up times “will put you back to square one,” he warns.
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The key to successfully changing sleep habits is to do it gradually, Troxel said.
“This is similar to the approach we would recommend for changing your schedule to manage jet lag,” he said.
Zeitzer said it can be difficult for anyone to change their sleep schedule, especially those who prefer more “extreme hours,” like staying up as early as 4:00 a.m. or waking up before 5:00 a.m.
He said going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, as well as being exposed to bright light, is the best way to successfully make the transition.
