Perils of the nighttime: Impact of behavioral timing and preference on mental health in 73,888 community-dwelling adults

May 19, 2024Psychiatry research

How Sleep Timing and Personal Sleep Habits Relate to Mental Health in Nearly 74,000 Adults

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Abstract

In a cohort of 73,888 middle- and older-aged adults, morning types with late sleep behavior had a significantly increased risk of mental health disorders.

Misalignment between chronotype and actual sleep timing is associated with higher risks of mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as depression and anxiety.
Morning types who sleep late are at greater risk for these disorders compared to those who align their sleep with their chronotype.
Evening types who sleep early may have a lower risk of depression, with trends indicating reduced risks for other mental health disorders.
Longitudinal analyses support the cross-sectional findings regarding the relationship between sleep timing, chronotype, and mental health.
Proper sleep timing, especially before 1 AM, may be important for maintaining mental health, regardless of individual chronobiological preferences.

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Mental health is independently influenced by the inclination to sleep at specific times (chronotype) and the actual sleep timing (behavior). Chronotype and timing of actual sleep are, however, often misaligned. This study aims to determine how chronotype, sleep timing, and the alignment between the two impact mental health. In a community-dwelling cohort of middle- and older-aged adults (UK Biobank, n = 73,888), we examined the impact of chronotype (questionnaire-based), the timing of behavior (determined with 7-day accelerometry), and the alignment between the two on mental, behavioral, neurodevelopmental disorders (MBN), depression, and anxiety, as assessed through ICD-10 codes. As compared to morning types with early behavior (aligned), morning types with late behavior (misaligned) had an increased risk of having MBN, depression, and anxiety (p's<0.001). As compared to evening-types with late behavior (aligned), however, evening-types with early behavior (misaligned) had a decreased risk of depression (p < 0.01), with a trend for MBN (p = 0.04) and anxiety (p = 0.05). Longitudinal analyses, in which the likelihood of developing de novo mental health disorders was associated with chronotype, behavioral timing, and alignment between the two, confirmed cross-sectional findings. To age healthily, individuals should start sleeping before 1AM, despite chronobiological preferences.

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Perils of the nighttime: Impact of behavioral timing and preference on mental health in 73,888 community-dwelling adults

Abstract

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