Resetting the late timing of ‘night owls’ has a positive impact on mental health and performance
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Resetting the late timing of ‘night owls’ has a positive impact on mental health and performance. / Facer-Childs, Elise; Middleton, Benita; Skene, Debra; Bagshaw, Andrew.
In: Sleep Medicine, Vol. 60, 08.2019, p. 236-247.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Resetting the late timing of ‘night owls’ has a positive impact on mental health and performance
AU - Facer-Childs, Elise
AU - Middleton, Benita
AU - Skene, Debra
AU - Bagshaw, Andrew
PY - 2019/8
Y1 - 2019/8
N2 - There is conflict between living according to our endogenous biological rhythms and our external environment, with disruptions resulting in negative consequences to health and performance. This is often documented in shift work and jet lag, but ‘societal norms’ e.g. typical working hours, can create profound issues for ‘night owls’, people whose internal biological timing predisposes them to follow an unusually late sleep-wake cycle. Night owls have also been associated with health issues, mood disturbances, poorer performance and increased mortality rates. This study used a randomized control trial design aimed to shift the late timing of night owls to an earlier time (phase advance), using non-pharmacological, practical interventions in a real-world setting. These interventions targeted light exposure (through earlier wake up/sleep times), fixed meals times, caffeine intake and exercise. Overall, participants demonstrated a significant advance of ∼2 h in sleep/wake timings as measured by actigraphy and circadian phase markers (dim light melatonin onset and peak time of the cortisol awakening response), whilst having no adverse effect on sleep duration. Importantly, the phase advance was accompanied by significant improvements to self-reported depression and stress, as well as improved cognitive (reaction time) and physical (grip strength) performance measures during the typical ‘suboptimal’ morning hours. Our findings propose a novel strategy for shifting clock timing towards a pattern that is more aligned to societal demands that could significantly improve elements of performance, mental health and sleep timing in the real world.
AB - There is conflict between living according to our endogenous biological rhythms and our external environment, with disruptions resulting in negative consequences to health and performance. This is often documented in shift work and jet lag, but ‘societal norms’ e.g. typical working hours, can create profound issues for ‘night owls’, people whose internal biological timing predisposes them to follow an unusually late sleep-wake cycle. Night owls have also been associated with health issues, mood disturbances, poorer performance and increased mortality rates. This study used a randomized control trial design aimed to shift the late timing of night owls to an earlier time (phase advance), using non-pharmacological, practical interventions in a real-world setting. These interventions targeted light exposure (through earlier wake up/sleep times), fixed meals times, caffeine intake and exercise. Overall, participants demonstrated a significant advance of ∼2 h in sleep/wake timings as measured by actigraphy and circadian phase markers (dim light melatonin onset and peak time of the cortisol awakening response), whilst having no adverse effect on sleep duration. Importantly, the phase advance was accompanied by significant improvements to self-reported depression and stress, as well as improved cognitive (reaction time) and physical (grip strength) performance measures during the typical ‘suboptimal’ morning hours. Our findings propose a novel strategy for shifting clock timing towards a pattern that is more aligned to societal demands that could significantly improve elements of performance, mental health and sleep timing in the real world.
KW - late circadian phenotypes
KW - chronotype
KW - actigraphy
KW - dim light melatonin onset
KW - cortisol awakening response
KW - non-pharmacological interventions
KW - phase advancing
KW - depression
KW - stress
KW - performance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067070284&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.05.001
DO - 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.05.001
M3 - Article
VL - 60
SP - 236
EP - 247
JO - Sleep Medicine
JF - Sleep Medicine
SN - 1389-9457
ER -