Sleeping and waking up one hour earlier can cut a person's risk of serious depression by more than 20 percent, a new study claims.
A team from the University of Colorado Boulder, the Broad Institute of MIT, and Harvard University collaborated on the genetic study, which included questionnaires and sleep tracking devices.
The researchers previously claimed per CU Boulder Today that "early risers" were 27 percent less likely to develop depression symptoms in a four-year study of 32,000 nurses. But how could one's sleep schedule influence people? This is the focus of the new research.
Irregular Sleep Pattern Can Increase Risk of Depression, Study
Sleeping and Waking Up Earlier Could Cut Depression By 23 Percent
The study, which examined data from 840,000 people, appears to indicate how much, or how little, change is required to influence mental health. The findings could have significant ramifications as people emerge from lockdown (and, for some, the forced shift in sleeping habits during this time).
"We have known for some time that there is a relationship between sleep timing and mood, but a question we often hear from clinicians is: How much earlier do we need to shift people to see a benefit?," senior author Celine Vetter, assistant professor of integrative physiology at Colorado University Boulder, in a press release.
"We found that even one-hour earlier sleep timing is associated with [a] significantly lower risk of depression," Vetter added.
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Hence, if someone who regularly goes to bed at midnight instead goes to bed at 11 PM and sleeps for the same amount of time, they can reduce their risk by 23 percent. On the other hand, they would substantially double the effect if they altered the time by two hours.
The researchers aren't sure why they're getting these results. But it could have something to do with how our bodies react to light and darkness. For example, The Hill said light therapy helped in treating several mood disorders in studies.
According to South Wales Argus, previous observational studies have found that night owls, regardless of how long they sleep, are twice as likely to suffer from depression as early risers. However, researchers have had difficulty figuring out what causes what because mood problems can impair sleep habits.
The link between depressive symptoms and societal norms, per The Hill, could be a product of these. It's possible that having a chronotype that doesn't make you an early riser has an impact.
"We live in a society that is designed for morning people, and evening people often feel as if they are in a constant state of misalignment with that societal clock," says lead author Iyas Daghlas at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in a Science Daily report.
How to Sleep and Wake Up Early
The most important guideline for getting up early is to have a compelling purpose. In a manner that determination cannot, motivation may transform behaviors and alter cognitive patterns. Your motivation must be distinct, precise, and personal. It shouldn't just be that early risers are more productive and happy; you should tailor it to your unique requirements and desires. Real Business has offered some steps and tools to help you keep a new daily habit once you've entirely grasped your motive.
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