Late nights = Depression and Anxiety

It is true that some of us are morning people and some of us are not. Those who choose to stay up late because they get more work done at night than they do early in the morning do pay a price, though. Their mental health suffers.

A large study of over 70,000 people from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that regardless of whether you prefer going to bed early or staying up late, you are better off from a psychiatric perspective if you choose an earlier sleep time. Specifically, the incidence of anxiety and depression rises in those who go to bed late.

Surprisingly, the study's authors found that these poor mental health outcomes produced by late-night sleep cycles occurr regardless of one's preference for early or late sleep. In other words, night owls suffer from going to bed late, too.

Study participants were grouped into three categories, depending on their bedtime preference (early or late) and whether or not they followed their own preference.

The authors concluded that, regardless of "chronobiological preferences," everyone should go to bed before 1:00 AM.

Some people find it difficult to go to bed for a variety of reasons. In most cases, the cause is poor sleep hygiene—failing to follow proper behaviors before bedtime, such as limiting alcohol and caffeine, dimming lights, turning off screens, and maintaining a dark, quiet, and cool bedroom environment. For those who are following good sleep practice and still struggle with initiating and maintaining sleep, supplements can be beneficial, without the dangers and side effects of prescription drugs.

Below is a link to my insomnia supplement plan I provide my patients. I am now sharing it with my Dissident MD subscribers. . To access the plan, you must first create a free patient account at Fullscript by entering your name and email address: Dr. Mark McDonald’s Fullscript dispensary.Watch a one-minute video on how to create an account below.