Light at night exposure and risk of depression: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Oct 31, 2025Journal of global health

Nighttime light exposure and risk of depression: a combined analysis of observational studies

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Individuals with higher exposure to light at night (LAN) have 1.224 times greater odds of experiencing depression.

There is a significant association between LAN exposure and increased risk of depression.
The odds ratio indicates that higher LAN exposure correlates with a greater likelihood of depression.
Subgroup analyses show variations in this association based on types of LAN exposure and participant characteristics.
Moderate to high heterogeneity among studies suggests variability in results.
Current findings are based on eight studies published between 2013 and 2025, indicating a need for higher-quality research.

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BACKGROUND: Depression is a common mental disorder, and emerging evidence suggests a link between light at night (LAN) exposure and increased risk. This meta-analysis systematically synthesises the accumulating evidence on the LAN-depression relationship.

METHODS: We systematically examined PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI and Weipu databases up to June 2025, following PRISMA guidelines. The combined effect size was calculated based on a random-effects model. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed through Cochran's Q test and Istatistic. Subgroup analyses were performed on types of LAN exposure, participant age categories, sample size, LAN exposure assessment and geographical regions. The study was registered on the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO ID# CRD420251120552). 2

RESULTS: We included eight studies published from 2013-2025. Individuals with higher exposure to LAN had higher odds of depression (odds ratio (OR) = 1.224; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.176-1.275). Subgroup analyses revealed that the association varied by LAN exposure types, participant age categories, sample size, LAN exposure assessment and geographical regions.

CONCLUSION: s Our research confirms a significant association between LAN exposure and elevated depression risk. Moderate to high heterogeneity and low sample sizes warrant higher-quality studies to help guide decisions to mitigate nocturnal light pollution and its psychological impacts.