They say that early birds catch worms – perhaps because night owls are depressed to do that.
While nocturnal owls may be smarter than early birds, studies have also suggested that they are more likely to develop diabetes and fight anxiety and depression.
But why owls at night – those who want to sleep late and wake up late – appear to be struggling more mentally than early birds who prefer early mornings and early mornings – remains a problem.
Now, a new study at the University of Surrey in the UK may awaken us to the answers.
One school that considers this chronotype disparity is to blame the increased risk of depression in night owls, a phenomenon known as “social jet lag.”
“Early birds are better with social norms like traditional 9-5 jobs, but both can be equally healthy as long as they get healthy sleep and stick to a consistent schedule.” Dr. Dylan Petoxa sleep expert and founder of Florida’s best Circadian Health, previously told the Post.
“The real problem arises when nighttime owls are forced into early schedules, leading to lack of sleep and subsequent health issues.”
Another theory is the “mind after midnight” hypothesis. This assumes that being waking up after midnight will help with bad decisions and impulsive behavior.
With this New researcha researcher published in Journal Plos One, asked 564 university students to complete a questionnaire about sleep patterns, mindfulness and anti-mission rates, alcohol use, and levels of anxiety and depression.
Only 38 of the students identified as early birds were night owls, and 252 were night owls.
According to the author of lead Dr. Simon Evansa senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey, which is not as surprising as it looks.
“The evening peaks for young adults are classified as chronotype delays in up to 50% of young adults,” Evans said. He spoke to BBC Science Focus. “This is a problem because slowing chronotypes is associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety and substance use.”
In line with previous findings, their studies have shown that nighttime owls are at a higher risk of depression – in part due to social time differences and, consequently, poor quality of sleep.
“Being an owl at night is very common in younger adults,” Evans said. “Youth mental health is a major concern, so work and education schedules can be better suited to night owls for better sleep.”
The study also found that nighttime owls drank more.
Researchers believe this is because people who drink do that in moderation and absorb the fact that they are university students into the social environment, both of which can counter the depressing effects of alcohol.
What’s even more interesting is that anti-mination and mindfulness are important mediators. While nighttime owls were more likely to worry about the evening and engage in negative thoughts, early birds were better at “acting with consciousness.”
“The explanation is probably the trend of anti-mination at the end of the day, not at the morning,” the study notes. “Evening chronotypes have a delayed circadian rhythm and stay awake late into the night, which gives them time to reminisce and may increase the risk of depressive symptoms.”
The researchers defined it as “acting consciously,” and as “the ability to be non-judgmental and to pay attention to both positive or negative emotions and negative emotions and negative emotions and thoughts.”
Therefore, researchers believe that meditation and other techniques designed to calm the mind and make people feel more present can serve as a successful way to reduce the risk of depression in nighttime owls.
Well, there’s not much alcohol.
“Our research shows that strategies to promote higher mindfulness, such as guided meditation and mindfulness exercises, are useful, and it is useful to focus on improving sleep quality and reducing alcohol use,” Evans said.
