The latest data released on the official website of the World Health Organization shows that depression is a common mental disease, affecting 264 million people worldwide. A new US study shows that for people who are used to sleeping late, if they can go to bed an hour earlier, the risk of depression can be reduced by 23%.
Previous studies have shown that, no matter how long sleep lasts, "night owls" are twice as likely to suffer from depression as those who like to go to bed early and get up early.
Researchers from the Broad Institute and other institutions in the United States tracked the sleep of about 840000 people, and evaluated some genetic variations in their genes, which may affect the type of work and rest of people. According to the survey, 33% of them prefer to go to bed early and get up early, while 9% of them are night owls. In general, the average midpoint of sleep of these people, that is, the midpoint between bedtime and waking time, is 3:00 a.m., about 11:00 p.m. when they go to bed and 6:00 a.m. when they get up.
The researchers then tracked the medical records of these people and made their investigation on the diagnosis of depression. The results showed that those who liked to go to bed early and get up early had a lower risk of depression. The study has not yet determined whether getting up earlier has further effect on people who get up earlier. However, for those whose sleep midpoint is in the middle or in the late range, the risk of depression is reduced by 23% for every hour of early sleep midpoint. For example, if a person who usually goes to bed at 1 a.m. changes to go to bed at midnight, and the sleep duration remains unchanged, the risk can be reduced by 23%. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Psychiatry.
Previous studies have shown that people who get up early receive more light during the day, which will affect hormone secretion, thereby improving mood. Selene Vettel of the Broad Research Institute, who participated in the study, suggested that if people want to go to bed early and get up early, they can walk or ride to work and dim the electronic equipment at night to ensure a bright and dark environment during the day.
The latest information released on the official website of WHO shows that depression, characterized by persistent sadness, lack of interest or fun, may disturb sleep and appetite, and is one of the main causes of disability worldwide. Depression is closely related to health problems such as pulmonary tuberculosis and cardiovascular disease.
