You probably won't feel your best if you stay awake until the wee hours of the night. But besides waking up groggy, new research shows that late bedtimes can actually harm your mental health.
From a recent study published in Psychiatry research, experts analyzed sleep and health data from 73,888 people in the British Biobank. Those who regularly went to bed after 1 a.m. were more likely to suffer from mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety than those who went to bed before 1 a.m.
It didn't matter whether subjects classified themselves as early risers, normally night owls (this is also called your chronotype) - going to bed after 1 a.m. hurts people mentally, the study found. In fact, night owls who went to bed after 1 a.m. were most likely to experience mental health effects. People who went to bed before 1 a.m. had the lowest number of psychiatric diagnoses.
This study has some limitations: the people who make up the UK Biobank are mostly white and middle-aged or older, according to Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, professor of medicine in the Department of Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, who is not. affiliated with the study.
"And the way they decided which chronotype you are came from a single question, although they did use one that had been validated. But the way we assess the morning or evening situation is usually with a much more thorough questionnaire that contains much more detailed questions," says Gurubhagavatula. This means that the question of whether people are really morning people or night owls may not be entirely accurate in this study.
Additionally, researchers relied on mental health diagnostic data added by physicians. This kind of reported data can be inaccurate or doctors can miss a diagnosis, Gurubhagavatula said. That said, she noted that the findings are consistent with what she would expect and said this study should be repeated in other populations as well.
Going to bed late has many negative consequences for your mental health - and your overall health.
"If you don't go to bed until 1am or 2am, chances are you won't wake up until a few hours after the sun rises. And you don't go to bed until a few hours after the sun has set, so I think this problem... not being in line with the light-dark cycle in the environment is potentially problematic," said Matthew Lehrer, an assistant professor. at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry, which is not involved in the study.
It is important that our bodies receive strong signals that it is daytime, which can come in the form of morning sun. If you don't receive these signals or receive mixed signals, it can cause problems with your biology, which can also affect your brain, Lehrer said.
"The authors also mentioned that a number of brain-related mechanisms exist beyond circadian misalignment. More nighttime activity is associated with more impulsive and maladaptive behavior," Lehrer said. "There are a number of mechanisms in the brain related to behavior, impulsivity and inhibition... if you're awake longer and later, those things tend to decrease and so that can also be linked to poor mental health."
Gurubhagavatula noted that some brain functions are more vulnerable to sleep loss than others.
"So, for example, you can chew gum, talk, walk, but the frontal lobe of the brain is very vulnerable to sleep deprivation," says Gurubhagavatula. The frontal lobe is responsible for much of our brain functioning, including mood and emotional regulation.
"So our ability not to swing wildly from one emotion to another - that ability to inhibit ourselves - is compromised under conditions of sleep deprivation or staying up very late," Gurubhagavatula said. "Then it can lead to more negativity, more anxiety... because the higher brain functions that would regulate these emotions are more blunted."
What about people - such as shift workers - who have to go to bed after 1am?
This can all sound quite daunting, especially if you have a job that requires you to go to bed after 1am. Both experts said you can do things to minimize the negative impact of going to bed late and also get more sleep.
Taking a nap is the first step. "One type of nap is called a strategic nap, which is done during the shift when you know you're going to have a slump period where it's so hard to stay awake that your eyes just close. It will be very efficient to use that time to take a nap if you can," said Gurubhagavatula.
"And then there's something called a preventative nap. So before the service even begins, go into the service as well rested as you can," Gurubhagavatula said, pointing out that it is It's best to keep your naps to 20 or 30 minutes.
Another strategy for night shift workers is "if possible, appropriately timed exposure to bright light during work hours," Lehrer said. "These would be artificial lights, like light boxes for people with seasonal affective disorder... they're very bright, they have fatigue-reducing and mood-boosting properties."
Following a specific eating schedule is also important. "It can also be helpful to maintain a more daytime-oriented eating schedule, possibly for mood. It has been demonstrated during simulated night work. People in the lab ate their meals during the day and their mood improved better than those who ate at night," Lehrer said.
According to both experts, having a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom can also help you sleep better.
Apart from this, if you just can't manage to get the recommended version seven to nine hours of sleep Gurubhagavatula said it is important to be aware that you may have a sleep disorder. In this case, it is a good idea to see a sleep specialist.
"I think most people are starting to understand that as much as we treat sleep as a bonus, it is actually essential. It is a biological necessity," said Gurubhagavatula. "And we can't live without it, just like air, food and water."