Staying up late might not just mess with your schedule, it could also put you at a higher risk for depression.
A new study reveals that poor sleep, more alcohol, and a lack of mindfulness could explain why evening chronotypes tend to struggle more with mental health.
Night Owls and Depression Risk
People who stay up late may be at a higher risk for depression, and a new study suggests that sleep quality, alcohol use, and mindfulness could help explain why. The study, led by Simon Evans from the University of Surrey, UK, will be published today (March 19, 2025) in the open-access journal PLOS One.
Research has previously shown that “night owls,” or individuals with an “evening chronotype,” tend to have more symptoms of depression than “morning chronotypes,” who wake up earlier. To explore this further, Evans and his team surveyed 546 university students through an online questionnaire. Participants provided self-reported data on their sleep habits, mindfulness, tendency to dwell on negative thoughts, alcohol consumption, and levels of depression and anxiety.
Sleep, Alcohol, and Mindfulness
The results confirmed that evening chronotypes had a significantly higher risk of depression. This link appeared to be influenced by key lifestyle factors. On average, night owls reported poorer sleep quality, higher alcohol consumption, and lower mindfulness compared to early risers.
However, the study had some limitations. Because it used a cross-sectional design, which captures data at a single point in time, it cannot establish cause and effect. Additionally, the findings may not be generalizable to people outside the university student population.
Potential Interventions to Reduce Depression Risk
With those caveats in mind, the authors conclude that interventions aimed at mindfulness, sleep, and alcohol use might have the potential to reduce depression risk, among young adults in particular.
The authors add: “With many young adults’ experiencing poor mental health, these study findings are particularly important—many young adults tend to stay up late and the results point to how interventions could be implemented to reduce their risk of depression.”
Reference: “Mindfulness mediates the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in young adults” by Gulin Yatagan Sevim, Tina Yuet Law and Simon L. Evans, 19 March 2025, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319915
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