A consistent sleep routine may lead to more than just maintaining comfort and alertness, as a recent study suggests that the greater the fluctuations in your sleep schedule, the more likely your mood and symptoms of depression are to worsen compared to those who enjoy regular sleep.
During the study, researchers from the Michigan State University College of Medicine tracked the sleep patterns of first-year medical residents in their college dormitory and found that an irregular sleep schedule can increase a person's risk of depression as much as getting fewer total hours of sleep or staying awake most nights. The researchers used fitness tracking devices to monitor the sleep and activities of over 2,100 doctors at the start of their careers, collecting mood data by asking residents to report their daily mood via a smartphone app and conducting quarterly tests for signs of depression, in addition to tracking information for an average of two weeks before starting their medical training and four months during the training year.
According to the study, the residents already had long and intensive working hours with irregular sleep schedules, making them a manageable group to study. Their average age was 27, and they were either completing their medical studies or had just graduated. Dr. Kathy Goldstein, an assistant professor of neurology and a physician at the Sleep Disorders Center in Michigan State University, stated, "For the first time, these devices allow us to track sleep over extended periods without effort on the user's part."
The study's authors noted that residents whose devices indicated they had variable sleep schedules were more likely to score higher on standardized questionnaires for depression symptoms and report lower daily mood ratings, similar to those who regularly stayed awake or got minimal sleep for any reason.
Moreover, the researchers indicated that the study's findings add to what is already known about the relationship between sleep, daily mood, and long-term risks of depression. Dr. Srijan Sen, a co-author of the study, stated, "These findings highlight sleep consistency as an undervalued factor in addressing and managing depression and mental health issues."
