There is indeed some strong evidence that sleeping at regular times is important to a healthy life, in addition to the number of hours of sleep we spend in total.
And a new study has now found a link between disturbed sleep patterns and an increased risk of bad moods and depression.
In research involving direct measurement of sleep times and moods of 2,115 physicians over the course of their first year of training, the scientists found that those with altered sleep patterns were more likely to report lower moods and score higher for depressive symptoms in questionnaires.
And the changing sleep times were likely to actually increase the risk of depression, as was the lack of sleep in general – indicating that staying in sync with our daily rhythms is as important to our mental health as recording a good number of hours of sleep in total.
“These findings highlight the consistency of sleep as an under-appreciated factor to target depression and wellness,” says neuroscientist Srijan Sen, from the University of Michigan.
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With an average age of 27, and work during the challenging first year of training, the physicians participating in this study are not representative of the general population – but the group gave scientists the opportunity to study a large number of people all in a similar condition over a period of several months.
And as you’d expect, getting more sleep in general, waking up late, sleeping early – plus sticking to a stricter sleep pattern – all tend to improve the moods of the participants.
The data was collected through the use of wearable devices for sleep tracking, smartphone apps and volunteer surveys. And when it comes to wearable devices, while they may not be as accurate to track sleep as tools in the laboratory, they enable scientists to monitor the habits of many people simultaneously, over a long period of time, without disrupting their daily lives.
Neuroscientist Yu Fang says: “Advanced wearable technology allows us to study behavioral and physiological factors of mental health, including sleep, on a much larger scale and with greater precision than before, opening an exciting field for exploration. The results are not intended solely to guide self-management of habits. Sleep, but also to inform institutional scheduling structures. “
And while we can all agree that better sleep habits are beneficial to our overall health, the team behind the new study wants to see more research on how various aspects of sleep hygiene – bedtime, waking time, sleep patterns and overall sleep – affect individual well-being.
The new study supports previous research indicating that ignoring our circadian rhythms can damage our mood and increase the risk of depression over time.
The researchers want to shift their attention to other groups of people who may not necessarily have complete control over when they go to bed and when they wake up.
The research is published in npj Digital Medicine.
Source: ScienceAlert
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