Search Here

Earlier bedtimes could help treat depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new study.

Investigators found that late evenings increased the risk of ruminating on negative thoughts. Furthermore, sleeping for shorter periods and at a later time has been linked to experiencing more negative thoughts, according to previous studies.

The latest study involved 100 young adults from Binghamton University who were asked to complete a series of questionnaires and computer tasks. Researchers measured how much participants worry, ruminate or obsess about something, and determined whether participants were more habitual morning or evening types.

The findings revealed that people who sleep for shorter periods of time and go to bed later experience more negative thoughts than those who sleep for longer or earlier. Researchers said the questionnaires confirmed the latest findings, as students who described themselves as night owls experience more repetitive negative thoughts.

"Making sure that sleep is obtained during the right time of day may be an inexpensive and easily disseminable intervention for individuals who are bothered by intrusive thoughts," researcher Jacob Nota of Binghamton University said in a news release.

"If further findings support the relation between sleep timing and repetitive negative thinking, this could one day lead to a new avenue for treatment of individuals with internalizing disorders," added co-researcher Meredith Coles of Binghamton University, according to a journal release. "Studying the relation between reductions in sleep duration and psychopathology has already demonstrated that focusing on sleep in the clinic also leads to reductions in symptoms of psychopathology."

The findings are published in the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research.