Night owls have always been the dark sheep of sleep chronotypes, ever since Ben Franklin extolled the virtues of an early-morning lifestyle back in the 18th century. Aside from the social stigma that plagues the late-night crowd, new research now argues that they also might live with a much higher depression risk.
The paper – appearing in PLOS ONE – also offers critical new intel that could drive new approaches to mental health interventions – especially for younger adults.
“With many young adults’ experiencing poor mental health, these study findings are particularly important — many young adults tend to stay up late and the results point to how interventions could be implemented to reduce their risk of depression,” co-author and University of Surrey neuroscience lecturer Simon Evans, PhD, explained.
Earlier studies have repeatedly tied “eveningness” to higher rates of depressive symptoms. And even though we’d known about this connection for a while, it’s the psychological apparatus powering that relationship that’s remained shrouded in mystery.
Methodology
The English researchers who wanted to rectify that combed through data from 546 university students so that they could explore potential mediators between chronotype and depressive symptoms.
The teams isolated a handful of relevant factors that include mindfulness, rumination, sleep quality, and alcohol consumption. What they discovered indicates that evening-types reported much higher levels of depression, worse quality of sleep, and fewer developed mindfulness traits – such as “acting with awareness.” The researchers also observed increased rumination and alcohol consumption among the night owls.
Through mediation analysis, the researchers explored the link between eveningness and depressive symptoms. Notably, sleep quality played the most important role.
But perhaps even more intriguing was the discovery that alcohol consumption, while certainly more common among evening-types, appeared to have an unexpected protective effect – at least among the individuals in this sample. The researchers theorized that it was probably because of moderate drinking habits and social engagement.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness emerged as another driving force in the relationship. The ‘acting with awareness’ trait — the ability to stay focused on the present without being overwhelmed by negative thoughts — was lower in evening-types. This aligns with earlier research suggesting that morning-types tend to exhibit higher mindfulness and better emotional regulation. The researchers suggest that the night owl’s tendency to endure fatigue and distraction – due in no small part to a lack of sleep – could act as a drag on their ability to remain aware and present.
The study also found that the mindfulness facet ‘describing’ (articulating emotions verbally) played a smaller – yet still meaningful – role. Research has shown that labeling emotions can help tamp down the intensity of negative reactions and mitigate depressive symptoms.
Sleep
Sleep quality played a particularly striking role. Evening-types typically struggle with social jet lag, a disconnect between their natural sleep rhythm and the societal schedules that dictate everyone else’s. This usually translates into a build up of “sleep debt” and elevated fatigue during the day, both of which drive up depression risk.
The findings also back up existing research that underscores the role of sleep quality as a critical indicator of mental health outcomes in young adults.
Intervention
Given the growing emphasis on mindfulness training for better mental health, these study results could inform an evolution in intervention strategies. Programs aimed at improving mental health in young adults could benefit from a renewed focus on mindfulness. Building up this skill could boost present-moment focus, cut back on negative thought patterns, and lower depression risk.
The study’s authors add that their results should encourage targeted interventions for at-risk populations, especially young adults, who nor experience peak eveningness tendencies and face a higher rate of depressive symptoms. Incorporating mindfulness techniques, improving sleep quality, and promoting balanced alcohol consumption could help.
Further Reading
Research Mental Health Professionals Shouldn’t Sleep On
