There are several different types of health news. Some types of health news tell you about a new medication or procedure, such as a cancer treatment or surgery. Other types of health news, such as health studies, are about the results of studies, such as a study on the effects of exercise. You can also find health news about research funding or health policy.
People undergoing simulated night shift work who ate both during the day and at night saw an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety, a new study found.
In particular, those who consumed only during the day seemed to be protected from the worsening of mood symptoms.
This line of research suggests that working evening, rotating, or on-call shifts might improve the mental health of millions of Americans, although more research is needed outside the sleep laboratory.
People who work odd shifts are more likely to gain weight, develop metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, due to a disruption in their body’s circadian clock and sleep/wake cycle.
Studies also show that night shift workers are at a higher risk of poorer mental health, including more symptoms of depression and anxiety.
“Shift workers, travelers who suffer jet lag, and those with circadian rhythm problems can use our research to their advantage,” said Frank A. J. L. Scheer, PhD, director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in a statement.
The research was published on September 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Twelve men and seven women participated in the study. A laboratory simulated night work conditions.
It led to circadian mismatching—the mismatch of internal clocks with behavioral and environmental cycles such as when they slept and woke up.
Night shift workers in the study were assigned to one of two meal timing groups. Both groups ate the same meals.
Researchers tracked participants’ feelings of depression and anxiety daily for one hour. These feelings are common in people with depressive disorder or anxiety-related disorder, according to the researchers.
People feeling depressed or anxious during a simulated night shift ate more during both the day and night than people who did not eat during either, according to the study.
Those with a greater degree of circadian misalignment experienced a greater impact on mood.
Compared to people who ate only at night, those who ate during the day experienced no significant changes in their depression- or anxiety-like mood levels.
Because the study conditions were the same for both groups, except for the timing of meals, the mood differences between the two groups is unlikely to be due to other factors, says the research paper.
In order to create the identical conditions, calorie and macronutrient intake, physical activity, posture, sleep duration, and lighting conditions were all kept the same.
“Shift workers, individuals suffering from circadian disruption, and people experiencing jet lag might benefit from our meal timing intervention,” Sarah L. Chellappa, of the University of Cologne in Cologne, Germany, said in the release.
“This research is promising,” She says, “but we need to do more studies to find out if eating at different times can help people with mood disorders.”
Dr. Christopher Palmer, a psychiatry assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said this new research supports what is now known about the health risks of working at night.
According to him, people who work shifts are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, as well as metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
He believes that eating meals during daylight hours can help shift workers feel better and reduce anxiety, based on the findings of this study and similar research.
This research is most relevant to those who work late shifts and those with disrupted sleep schedules. However, some research suggests that late-night eating may also impact health of those who don’t work at night.
People who habitually snack in the middle of the night, known as night eating syndrome, are at higher risk of depression and psychological distress.
According to Palmer, in his forthcoming book, “Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More,” this kind of research is difficult because many factors are involved — changes in sleep, circadian rhythms, eating behaviors, stress responses, and mood symptoms.
In this new study, he isolated one variable and found that it was the timing of eating that determined whether people gained weight.
Late-night snacking may also pose a potential danger in that people may choose more calories, added sugars and sodium-rich junk foods instead of sensible choices.
