Early Risers Less Likely to Suffer Mental Illness

People who wake up early in the morning (early risers) are less likely to develop mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Nature Communications.//

A new study suggests that being a ‘morning person’ can lead to greater well-being as well as lower the risk of developing schizophrenia and depression.

Depression - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting approximately 340 million people in the world. No one is immune from depression - it occurs in people of all social classes, all countries and all cultural settings.

‘Being a 'morning person' can reduce your risk of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. So, make sure to wake up early every day to boost your mental health.’
Read More..

Tweet it Now

However, for some, it is hard to be a morning lark, and they would rather be a night owl. Various research have explained an individual's genetics as the reason behind this.

Now, a large-scale genomic analysis has identified 327 new genes, from earlier known 24, associated with a person's sleep time, or chronotype.

The study revealed some of the inner workings of the body clock, shedding new light on how it links to mental health and disease.

Mental Health - Neurosis vs Psychosis
Mental well-being is a concern and abnormal coping of emotions can lead to neurosis or psychosis. Mental illnesses can range from depression, anxiety, phobias to schizophrenia and affective disorders.

It suggests that being genetically programmed to rise early is associated with better mental health, but does not affect body mass index (BMI) or risk of Type-2 diabetes.

"This study highlights a large number of genes which can be studied in more detail to work out how different people can have different body clocks," said lead researcher Professor Mike Weedon, from the University of Exeter Medical School.

About Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by symptoms of thought, behavior and social problems.

Importantly, the study also showed that the genetic variants the researchers identified could shift a person's natural waking time by up to 25 mins - changing some people's waking time from 8 am to 8.25am, for example.

The researchers found that the genetic areas influence sleep timing, but not the quality or duration of sleep.

Women Who Wake Up Early Are Less Prone To Depression: Study
Women who slept early and rose up early in the morning are less likely to suffer from depression, finds a new study.

"Our work indicates that part of the reason why some people are up with the lark while others are night owls is because of differences in both the way our brains react to external light signals and the normal functioning of our internal clocks," Samuel E. Jones, of the University of Exeter Medical School explained.

"These small differences may have potentially significant effects on the ability of our body clocks to keep time effectively, potentially altering the risk of both disease and mental health disorders."

The study was based on genome-wide data from 697,828 UK Biobank and 23andMe -- a UK-based DNA testing website -- participants.

The study further analyzed 85,000 people through the use of wrist-worn activity monitors, confirming that the desire to either sleep in or get up in the morning is genetic.

Source-IANS