The time you go to bed at night could be contributing to feelings of loneliness and anxiety, new research suggests. The study claims that people who prefer staying up late tend to suffer from poorer mental health and increased feelings of isolation.
The findings showed that people who naturally tend to go to bed and wake up later reported deteriorating mental well-being. The findings include increased general loneliness and stronger feelings of isolation during nighttime hours.
Chronotype refers to a person’s natural preference for their sleep-wake pattern, with those who naturally favour later bedtimes and waking times potentially being more vulnerable to social isolation from standard daily routines.
According to Study Finds, both types of loneliness play an important role in the relationship between chronotype and mental health. The researchers found that people with later sleep patterns experienced significantly higher levels of anxiety.
Feelings of loneliness during the night were found to partially account for this link, reports Yorkshire Live. People who leaned more towards a later bedtime were more vulnerable to nocturnal loneliness, which was associated with raised anxiety levels.
View 3 ImagesA new study has found a link between when you go to sleep and your mental health(Image: Getty)
When nighttime loneliness was factored in, the direct relationship between a person’s chronotype and anxiety became statistically insignificant, with the indirect pathway through nocturnal loneliness proving to be the key factor, indicating a substantial link between delayed sleep patterns and anxiety.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine stresses that sleep is essential for well-being, requiring adequate duration, high quality, proper timing and consistency, along with an absence of sleep disturbances or disorders.
“People with later sleep patterns reported poorer mental health in part because they also experienced greater loneliness, including feelings of loneliness at night, and increased levels of anxiety,” said lead author Alec Harlow, a researcher at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. “The findings suggest that both daytime and nighttime social experiences appear to be relevant when examining mental health among evening chronotypes.”
View 3 ImagesPeople with later sleep patterns reported poorer mental health(Image: Peopleimages via Getty Images)
Hundreds of study participants completed an online questionnaire assessing their chronotype, night-time loneliness and anxiety levels. A statistical model was then used to establish whether night-time loneliness served as a mediating factor between chronotype and anxiety.
Harlow found that the findings point to loneliness – especially that felt during the night – as a potential target for intervention amongst evening types. He said: “Evaluating and addressing loneliness, including the challenges that arise at night, such as anxiety, may represent a meaningful intervention target for therapists, clinicians, and researchers to improve the well-being of people with later chronotypes.”
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For those struggling with anxiety, the NHS advises telling your GP if:
- You’re struggling to cope with anxiety, fear or panic
- Things you’re trying yourself are not helping
- You would prefer to get a referral from a GP