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If you’ve stayed up a little late, you’re likely to wake up a little groggy… but be aware that this late bedtime can directly impact your mental health… especially if you go to bed after 1 a.m.
“Night owl” or “early riser”, avoid going to bed after 1 a.m.
American researchers tracked the sleep habits and health status of 73,888 people from the British UK Biobank database. Each participant had to classify themselves as an early riser or night owl (a distinction known as chronotype). The researchers wanted to determine whether health problems were greater in individuals whose bedtime did not match their sleep preferences.
Finding: Those who regularly went to bed after 1 a.m. were more likely to suffer from mental health disorders like depression and anxiety than those who went to bed before 1 a.m. And these results were independent of the chronotypes of the participants. More clearly, having an earlier sleep schedule is better for everyone’s mental health.
In detail, night owls who go to bed after 1 a.m. are the most likely to have consequences on their mental health. People who went to bed before 1 a.m. had the fewest mental health diagnoses.
A brain disturbance that impacts mental health
Even if this study has certain limitations: the chronotype was only determined from a single question, the diagnoses were reported by different doctors… nevertheless, these results confirm that having sleep habits that are not aligned with the light-dark cycle is problematic for our brain which would receive contradictory signals.
The authors of the study put forward other hypotheses: circadian misalignment could lead to more impulsive, maladaptive behavior. According to one of the authors, “There are certain mechanisms in the brain related to behavior, impulsivity and inhibition… when you are awake longer and later, these things tend to decrease and so this could also be associated with poor mental health“.
Nap, light therapy, eating rhythm… the
Asked in the Huffinton Post how it is possible to counteract these problems (especially if your job requires you to stay up late), Professor Indira Gurubhagavatula, interviewed by the Huffington Postrecommends:
- Take a nap : a strategic nap as soon as your eyes start to close, or a preventative nap to take before going to work;
- Expose yourself to bright light via light therapy objects used for people suffering from seasonal depression;
- Follow a specific eating schedule can have a positive effect on mood;
- Have a cool, dark and quiet room can also help you sleep better.
Beyond the impact on mental health, sleep disorders impact your cardiovascular health.
Consult a doctor online for your sleep problems
Don’t minimize the impact of sleep disorders
To sleep well, here are some health and diet rules to put in place as a first step.
- Sleep in a cool, dark and quiet room, without visual or sound disturbances;
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol during the day;
- Exercise and expose yourself to natural light during the day;
- Eat light in the evening;
- Stop using screens an hour before bed and choose a calm activity, such as reading, listening to a podcast or meditation for example.
If these tips, implemented diligently, do not work, consult your doctor, who can refer you to cognitive-behavioral therapy, in order to regulate your sleep cycles.