Poor sleep and drinking too much could drive depression in night owls, research suggests.
Experts already know that night owls are at higher risk of poor mental health compared to early risers but, until now, it has been unclear why.
A new study published in the journal PLOS One suggests some reasons and expands on what is already known.
Experts from the University of Surrey questioned 546 university students about sleep patterns, whether people were able to focus on their feelings and thoughts in the present moment (mindfulness), tendencies to ruminate, alcohol use, and depression and anxiety levels.
The study found that night owls were more prone to depression than morning types, and were significantly more likely to ruminate.
Researchers said this backs up previous studies which suggest people are more likely to worry and ruminate at the end of the day.
The study also found that morning lovers were more likely to act with mindfulness, such as they were acting with awareness of their emotions and thoughts.
Those who stayed up were also significantly more likely to drink alcohol and also had poorer sleep.
The authors concluded: “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.”
