Night people are at higher risk for depression and other illnesses

The internal clock affects the well-being and the psyche?

Physicians now found that early-onset people have better well-being and a lower risk of schizophrenia and depression. So-called night people are more likely to suffer from illness and more often have mental health problems.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and the Massachusetts General Hospital found in their recent research that our internal clock and getting up early or going to bed have a major impact on mental health. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal Nature Communications.

When people go to bed late or fall asleep at night, it increases the risk of developing depression and other illnesses. (Image: Focus Pocus LTD / fotolia.com)

Night people have a lower level of mental well-being

A large-scale genome analysis has examined some of the functions of the internal clock that provide new insights into the relationship between mental health and disease development. "This study reveals a large number of genes that can be studied in more detail to find out how different people can have different internal clocks. The large number of people in our study means that we have the strongest evidence yet that revelers are at greater risk for mental health problems such as schizophrenia and lower mental wellbeing, although further studies are needed to fully understand this relationship " explains study author Professor Mike Weedon of the University of Exeter Medical School in a press release.

Nearly 700,000 subjects were examined

The study surveyed some 250,000 US volunteers and about 450,000 British UK Biobank study participants to see if they are more likely to be morning or night-time. The genomes of the participants were analyzed to find out which genes they have in common and what might affect their sleep patterns. The researchers confirmed their findings with information from wrist-worn activity trackers that carried more than 85,000 subjects. The information showed that the genetic variants identified by the researchers could shift a person's natural waking time up to 25 minutes. Researchers also found that the genetic areas affect sleep but not the quality or duration of sleep.

Internal clock is influenced by genes and lifestyle factors

Among the identified genome regions are those that are central to our body clock (also referred to as circadian rhythm) and genes that are expressed in the brain and nets of the eye. Our internal clock is influenced by our genes and lifestyle factors, such as nutrition, artificial light, our jobs and activities. The internal clock affects a variety of molecular processes, including hormone levels and body core temperature, as well as our wake and sleep patterns, explain the physicians. "The discovery of this fundamental mechanism of the body's internal clock in the brain recently won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2017. However, we still know very little about whether or not the body's internal clock affects the risk of disease, "says study author Dr. Samuel E. Jones of the University of Exeter Medical School's press release.

Research enables new therapeutic approaches

Research shows that part of the reason why some people get up early, while others are more of the night people, is due to differences in our brain's response to external light signals and the normal functioning of our internal clocks. These small differences can potentially have a significant impact on the risk of illness and mental health, explain the scientists. By understanding the genetics of sleep and the time of activity in the general population, physicians also gain insights into possible therapeutic approaches for people with symptoms such as advanced or delayed circadian arrhythmias, explains study author Dr. med. Jacqueline M Lane of the Massachusetts General Hospital. (As)