Waking up just one hour earlier could reduce a person’s risk of major depression by 23%, suggests a sweeping new genetic study published May 26 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. This gave them a more granular picture, down to the hour, of how variants in genes influence when we sleep and wake up. Using novel statistical techniques, they asked: Do those with genetic variants which predispose them to be early risers also have lower risk of depression? Each one-hour earlier sleep midpoint (halfway between bedtime and wake time) corresponded with a 23% lower risk of major depressive disorder. It’s unclear from the study whether those who are already early risers could benefit from getting up even earlier.

Source: Mint June 06, 2021 06:45 UTC