親愛的夜貓子們，你們是否常常在深夜時分感到精力充沛，認為那是最佳的工作和娛樂時光？如果是這樣，有一項重要的發現要和你分享！最新的史丹佛大學睡眠研究結果揭示，我們可能需要重新思考這種生活方式了，因為熬夜對心理健康的影響似乎有害無益！
驚人發現：晚睡可能影響心理健康
史丹佛醫學院最近發表了一項重磅研究，研究人員對近75,000名成年人進行了調查，比較了他們偏好的睡眠時間（Chronotype 生理時鐘類型）與實際睡眠行為。結果出人意料：無論自然傾向如何，每個人似乎都能從較早的就寢時間中受益。無論你是早起的晨型人還是晚睡的夜型人，熬夜似乎都會對心理健康產生負面影響。
研究的資深作者、精神病學和行為科學教授 Jamie Zeitzer博士解釋道：
「我們發現，與自己的生理時鐘類型保持一致並不是關鍵。真正對心理健康不利的是熬夜。」
並建議凌晨１點熄燈。這個發現打破了我們長期以來對「順應自然」的理解，引發了更多關於睡眠模式與心理疾病關聯的討論。
研究深入了解睡眠行為
這項研究發表在《精神病學研究》雜誌，研究團隊檢視了英國的中年和老年人群，使用可穿戴裝置追踪了一週的睡眠模式。參與者的心理健康狀況則通過健康記錄確定。 在參與者中，19,065人認為自己是早起型，6,844人認為自己是夜貓子型，而47,979人介於兩者之間
一切都與睡眠時機有關
與預期相反，研究發現遵循個人生理時鐘並不總是對心理健康最有利。事實上，當夜貓子們不按自然節奏生活時，情況反而更好。因為結果很明確——不論是晨型人還是夜型人，只要一熬夜，罹患精神健康疾病，如憂鬱和焦慮，的機率都較高。
其中，「最糟糕的情況無疑是夜貓子熬夜」，Zeitzer解釋道。與那些被要求早睡的夜型人相比，忠於自己生理時鐘的夜貓子被診斷出患有心理健康問題的可能性要高出20%到40%。
而早起的人如果保持早睡早起的習慣，似乎擁有最好的心理健康狀況。有趣的是，早起型的人即使偶爾晚睡，其負面影響也沒有夜型人那麼顯著。
這些發現挑戰了我們對睡眠習慣的傳統理解，指出了一個重要的事實：也許不是我們的自然傾向，而是我們選擇的睡眠時間，才是影響心理健康的關鍵因素。
為什麼熬夜會影響心理健康？
有人可能會問：「為什麼晚睡晚起比早睡早起更不利於心理健康呢？」研究人員提出了幾個可能的解釋：
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「午夜後的心理」假說（The mind after midnight hypothesis）：
這個理論認為，在深夜時分，我們的大腦可能更容易產生負面情緒，判斷力和自制力也可能下降，包括萌生自殺等有害念頭。
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與主流生理時鐘的社會錯位：
夜深人靜時，因為少了人在看，感覺更孤立、更傾向去做那些「白天」容易被側目、不允許的高風險行為。相反的，像地中海地區，夜晚有著熱鬧社交文化的地方，熬夜甚至可能有益於心理健康。
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決策質量：
Zeitzer博士推測，早起型的人在深夜時可能更意識到自己的判斷力下降，因此會推遲重要決定。而夜型人可能高估自己在深夜的判斷能力，誤認為自己正在「清醒地做出對的選擇」。
若你是夜貓子，是時候重新思考睡眠習慣了
研究團隊也曾思考熬夜與心理健康的因果關聯是否該反過來：也就是說，是因為心理健康狀況不佳而導致熬夜行為。然而，他們在接下來的八年追蹤了一部分之前沒有被診斷出患有精神障礙的參與者。結果不變——在那段時間裡，睡得很晚的夜貓子依然最容易患上心理健康障礙。
這項研究給了我們一個重要的提醒：睡眠不僅關乎精力，更與我們的心理健康息息相關。但這並不意味著所有的夜型人都必須立即改變自己的生活方式，畢竟知易行難。
Zeiter 的團隊也計劃繼續研究特定的深夜行為（而不是時間本身）是否與不良心理健康有關
「如果你喜歡熬夜，只做人們通常在晚上 10 點做的事情，但你在凌晨 2 點或 3 點做——也許這不是問題⋯⋯」他打趣地說。
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Night Owls Beware! Study Finds Late-Night Habits May Harm Mental Health
Dear night owls, do you often feel energized late at night, believing it's the best time for work and entertainment? If so, there's an important discovery to share with you! The latest sleep study results from Stanford University reveal that we might need to rethink this lifestyle, as staying up late seems to have detrimental effects on mental health!
Surprising Finding: Late Bedtimes May Affect Mental Health
Stanford Medical School recently published a groundbreaking study where researchers surveyed nearly 75,000 adults, comparing their preferred sleep times (chronotype) with their actual sleep behavior. The results were unexpected: regardless of natural tendencies, everyone seemed to benefit from earlier bedtimes. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, staying up late appears to negatively impact mental health.
The study's senior author, Dr. Jamie Zeitzer, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, explains:
"We found that alignment with your chronotype is not crucial here. What's really detrimental to mental health is staying up late."
He recommends turning off the lights by 1 AM. This finding challenges our long-held understanding of "following our natural rhythm" and sparks further discussion about the relationship between sleep patterns and mental health disorders.
In-Depth Look at Sleep Behavior
Published in the journal Psychiatry Research, the study examined middle-aged and older adults in the UK, using wearable accelerometers to track sleep patterns over a week. Participants' mental health status was determined through health records. Among the participants, 19,065 identified as morning types, 6,844 as evening types, and 47,979 fell somewhere in between.
It's All About Sleep Timing
Contrary to expectations, the study found that following one's individual biological clock isn't always best for mental health. In fact, night owls fared better when they didn't adhere to their natural rhythm. The results were clear—regardless of whether one is a morning or evening type, staying up late increased the likelihood of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
"The worst-case scenario is definitely night owls staying up late," Zeitzer explains. Night owls true to their chronotype were 20% to 40% more likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues compared to night owls following an earlier sleep schedule.
Meanwhile, early risers who maintained their early-to-bed, early-to-rise habit seemed to have the best mental health. Interestingly, even when early types occasionally stayed up late, the negative impact wasn't as significant as it was for night owls.
These findings challenge our traditional understanding of sleep habits, pointing out an important fact: perhaps it's not our natural tendencies, but rather our chosen sleep times that are the key factor affecting mental health.
Why Does Staying Up Late Affect Mental Health?
Some might ask, "Why is going to bed late and waking up late worse for mental health than early to bed and early to rise?" Researchers propose several possible explanations:
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The "Mind After Midnight" Hypothesis:
This theory suggests that in the late hours of the night, our brains may be more prone to negative emotions, with decreased judgment and self-control, including the emergence of harmful thoughts such as suicidal ideation.
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Social Misalignment with Mainstream Chronotypes:
In the quiet of night, with fewer people around, one might feel more isolated and inclined to engage in high-risk behaviors that would be frowned upon or not allowed during the day. Conversely, in places like the Mediterranean region where nightlife is vibrant, staying up late might even be beneficial for mental health.
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Decision-Making Quality:
Dr. Zeitzer speculates that morning types might be more aware of their decreased judgment late at night and thus postpone important decisions. Night owls, on the other hand, might overestimate their late-night judgment abilities, mistakenly believing they're "making clear-headed choices."
If You're a Night Owl, It's Time to Reconsider Your Sleep Habits
The research team also considered whether the causal relationship between late nights and mental health should be reversed: that is, whether poor mental health leads to late-night behavior. However, they followed a subset of participants who had not been diagnosed with mental disorders for the next eight years. The results remained consistent—during that time, night owls who slept late were still most likely to develop mental health disorders.
This study provides an important reminder: sleep isn't just about energy levels; it's closely tied to our mental health. However, this doesn't mean all night owls must immediately change their lifestyle—after all, knowing is easier than doing.
Zeitzer's team also plans to continue researching whether specific late-night behaviors (rather than timing itself) are associated with poor mental health.
"If you like being up late and just do what people normally do at 10 PM, but you do it at 2 or 3 AM—maybe that's not a problem," he said.
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