Waking up just one hour earlier could reduce a person's risk of major depression by 23%, according to a new genetic study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The study of 840,000 people, by researchers at University of Colorado Boulder and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is among the first to quantify just how much, or little, change is required to influence mental health.
Because having a mood disorder in and of itself is known to disrupt sleep patterns, scientists are still in the dark as to why night owls are more likely to suffer from depression as compared to early risers, no matter how long they sleep. Scientists surmise that it may be that getting more hours of light exposure during the day, which early-risers tend to get, results in a cascade of hormonal impacts that can influence mood; hence, getting up an hour earlier could get you a mood-boosting extra hour of daylight.
The study also suggested that if “someone who normally goes to bed at 1 a.m. goes to bed at midnight instead and sleeps the same duration, they could cut their risk of depression by 23%; if they go to bed at 11 p.m., they could cut it by about 40%.”
"Keep your days bright and your nights dark," she says. "Have your morning coffee on the porch. Walk or ride your bike to work if you can, and dim those electronics in the evening." said senior author Celine Vetter, assistant professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
SOURCE: Newswise May 28, 2021