Depression suicide risks are 2.5 times greater for night owls than morning people, a study shows.
The findings are from researchers at Inje University’s Ilsan Paik Hospital, led by Lee Seung-hwan, a professor of mental health and medicine. They studied 120 patients suffering depression.
The team categorized patients according the time of day they were active and measured the risk of suicidal thoughts.
The study found depressed people who are active in the morning scored six in suicidal risks, whereas those active at night scored 14.73.
The team said being active at night increased bipolar tendencies, heightening the likelihood of impulsive suicidal attempts.
It said developing the habit of sleeping early and rising early would normalize the biological rhythm and help people recover from depressive moods as well as prevent suicide.
The findings were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.