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This gave them a more granular picture, down to the hour, of how variants in genes influence when we sleep and wake up.
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The researchers assessed deidentified genetic data on these variants from up to 850,000 individuals, including data from 85,000 who had worn wearable sleep trackers for 7 days and 250,000 who had filled out sleep-preference questionnaires.
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More than 340 common genetic variants, including variants in the so-called "clock gene" PER2, are known to influence a person's chronotype, and genetics collectively explains 12-42% of our sleep timing preference. "Our genetics are set at birth so some of the biases that affect other kinds of epidemiological research tend not to affect genetic studies," said Daghlas, who graduated in May from Harvard Medical School. Daghlas then used a method called "Mendelian randomization" that leverages genetic associations to help decipher cause and effect. To get a clearer sense of whether shifting sleep time earlier is truly protective, and how much shift is required, lead author Iyas Daghlas, M.D., turned to data from the DNA testing company 23 and Me and the biomedical database UK Biobank. In 2018, Vetter published a large, long term study of 32,000 nurses showing that "early risers" were up to 27% less likely to develop depression over the course of four years, but that begged the question: What does it mean to be an early riser? Other studies have had small sample sizes, relied on questionnaires from a single time point, or didn't account for environmental factors which can influence both sleep timing and mood, potentially confounding results.
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But because mood disorders themselves can disrupt sleep patterns, researchers have had a hard time deciphering what causes what. Previous observational studies have shown that night owls are as much as twice as likely to suffer from depression as early risers, regardless of how long they sleep. "We found that even one-hour earlier sleep timing is associated with significantly lower risk of depression." "We have known for some time that there is a relationship between sleep timing and mood, but a question we often hear from clinicians is: How much earlier do we need to shift people to see a benefit?" said senior author Celine Vetter, assistant professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder. It's also among the first studies to quantify just how much, or little, change is required to influence mental health.Īs people emerge, post-pandemic, from working and attending school remotely - a trend that has led many to shift to a later sleep schedule - the findings could have important implications. The smallest of the main terrestrial channels, Channel 5 continues to punch above its weight, delivering true public service broadcasting that enriches and enhances the television landscape.Ĭhannel 5 is operated by Viacom International Media Networks.The study of 840,000 people, by researchers at University of Colorado Boulder and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, represents some of the strongest evidence yet that chronotype - a person's propensity to sleep at a certain time - influences depression risk. The channel recently won both its first Bafta and Channel of the Year at the Edinburgh Television Awards. Recent highlights include the world-exclusive Michael Palin in North Korea dramas 15 Days, Blood, and Agatha and the Truth of Murder Critical Condition and the Bafta-nominated Operation Live and new hits Our Yorkshire Farm and Warship: Life at Sea. Through agenda-driving commissions, Channel 5 reflects life in modern Britain, tackling societal issues from inequality to inner-city gang life, homelessness to mental health. Channel 5 is the UK’s third-largest commercial channel, with a diverse schedule spanning documentaries, popular factual series, accessible and engaging history, inclusive entertainment and reality, scripted shows and acclaimed children’s and news content.