Rise early and smile

IF YOU are an early riser, you are significantly less likely to develop depression, according to researchers.

“Being an early type seems to be beneficial, and you can influence how early you are,” said lead author Celine Vetter, a director at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Conversely, people who are up until late at night are twice as likely to suffer from depression, studies have shown.

It was because the late chronotypes – or night owls – are less likely to be married, more likely to live alone and be smokers, and more likely to have erratic sleep patterns, the researchers said.

Lack of sleep, exercise, less time spent outdoors, bright lights at night, and low exposure to daylight can all contribute to depression.

For the study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the team analysed more than 32 000 female nurses to explore the link between chronotype – the propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period, or sleep-wake preference – and mood disorders.

The results showed that even after accounting for environmental factors like light exposure and work schedules, chronotype – which is in part determined by genetics – appear to mildly influence the risk of depression.

“Our results show a modest link between chronotype and depression risk,” Vetter said.

Vetter stressed that the study did not suggest night owls were doomed to be depressed. – IANS