The early bird catches the worm, while the night owl is more at risk of developing depression. That’s according to a new study that suggests people who prefer waking up and staying up late are more likely to experience depressive symptoms, compared to early risers
A study by the University of Surrey found this might be because night owls tend to get poorer sleep, exhibit less mindfulness and drink more alcohol, compared to early birds.
“A late chronotype – also known as ‘eveningness’ or being a ‘night owl’ – is a biological tendency to prefer to be active in the evening, and sleep and wake up later,” cognitive neuroscience lecturer Dr Simon Evans, who led the research, told BBC Science Focus. “Chronotype has a genetic basis, so being a night owl is a natural biological tendency.”
Evans’s team asked 564 university students to complete a questionnaire about their sleep patterns, mindfulness, alcohol use, levels of depression and anxiety, and tendencies to ruminate – that is, to fall into dysfunctional thought spirals about negative situations or events.
“Eveningness peaks in young adulthood, with up to 50 per cent of young adults being classed as having a late chronotype,” said Evans. “This is an issue because having a late chronotype is linked to an increased risk of depression, anxiety and substance use.”
The study confirmed that night owls were at significantly higher risk of developing depression than early birds, as well as reporting higher levels of rumination.
The students with later chronotypes reported getting worse sleep than early risers, which the scientists suggested could be due to “social jetlag”: when a person's natural body clock doesn’t match their daily schedule.
“Being a night owl is very common in young adults,” said Evans. “Mental health among young people is a major concern, so work and educational schedules could be adapted to better suit night owls, allowing them to sleep better.”
Later chronotypes drank more alcohol too, which is known to be a depression risk. However, alcohol was not found to increase the risk of depression among the students involved in this study.
Instead, night owls who drank alcohol were less likely to experience depression than those who didn’t drink – but most of the students only drank moderately. The researchers suggest that the social connectedness created while drinking may have outweighed any negative effects.
Evans added that there were strategies that night owls could try themselves to help protect against depression.
“Our research shows that strategies to foster higher mindfulness – such as guided meditation and mindfulness exercises – would be useful, as well as focusing on having better sleep quality, and trying to lower alcohol use,” he said.
This study was recently published in the scientific journal PLOS One.
Read more:
- Could this be the bold new future of depression treatment?
- The 8 science-backed secrets to a more restful night's sleep
- Night owls are 'cognitively superior’ to early risers. Here’s why
About our expert:
Dr Simon Evans is a senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Surrey's School of Psychology. He completed his PhD at University College London's Institute of Neurology in 2011 and his postdoctoral training was at the University of Sussex, applying MRI techniques to explore how genetic factors affect brain activity patterns and cognitive performance. Evans's primary research interest is the use of brain imaging techniques to investigate cognitive change across the lifespan.
