Early Risers Have Lower Depression Risk, Genetic Study Claims

Mental Health News: Getting up just one hour earlier lowers the risk of major depression by 23 percent, according to a new genetic study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Researchers at University of Colorado at Boulder studied 840,000 people to investigate the sleep time and the risk of depression and to quantify how changes can influence mental health. The study included people who had worn wearable sleep trackers and those who had filled out sleep-preference questionnaires.

The research team worked on genetic associations to find out cause and effect. In the largest of these samples, they observed that on an average people went to bed at 11 p.m. and got up at 6 a.m. They found that if a person who normally sleeps at 1 a.m. goes to bed at midnight instead and sleeps the same duration, they could cut their risk by 23%. if they go to bed at 11 p.m., they could cut depression risk by about 40%.

Further, the study revealed that those who are already early risers could benefit from getting up even earlier because they can enjoy greater light exposure during the day, resulting in a cascade of hormonal impacts that can influence mood.

To Know More, You May Refer To

Daghlas, I., Lane, J. M., Saxena, R., & Vetter, C. (2021). Genetically Proxied diurnal preference, sleep timing, and risk of major depressive disorder. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0959