Sleep Timing May Be Linked to Depression, Australian Study Suggests

A new Australian study suggests that the timing of sleep may be associated with a form of depression described as circadian depression.

The finding points to a possible connection between sleep schedules and mood, drawing attention to when people sleep rather than only how much rest they get.

Circadian rhythms are the body’s internal daily cycles, which help regulate sleep and wakefulness. The term used in the study refers to depression linked to this biological clock.

The brief summary did not provide details about the study’s methods or participants. It also did not establish that sleep timing causes depression, or that changing bedtime alone would relieve symptoms.