Eating Late Night Affects Increases Depression and Anxiety-Related Mood Levels, Finds Study
Participants were put into a Forced Desynchrony protocol in dim light for four 28-hour days such that on the fourth day their behavioural cycles were inverted by 12 hours, in order to simulate night work and cause circadian misalignment.
Eating what time you eat food could have a considerable impact on your mental health, with late-night snacking increasing levels of depression and anxiety-related moods.
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This is according to a new study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women¡¯s Hospital. For the study, researchers enrolled 19 participants (12 men, 7 women) for a randomised controlled study.
Participants were put into a Forced Desynchrony protocol in dim light for four 28-hour days such that on the fourth day their behavioural cycles were inverted by 12 hours, in order to simulate night work and cause circadian misalignment.
Participants were randomly assigned to two groups split on the basis of meal timings -- the Daytime and Nighttime Meal control group which involved meals based on a 28-hour cycle (eating both during day and night) as well as a Daytime Only Meal Intervention Group which had meals based on a 24-hour cycle, where they only consumed food during the day.
The team assessed the depression and anxiety levels of the volunteers every hour. Researchers found that meal timing considerably affected the mood levels of participants.
Those from the simulated night-shift group had increased levels of depression-like mood levels and anxiety-like mood levels, compared to baseline levels seen on day 1. On the other hand, no such effects were spotted in those who were in the daytime group. The shift in mood was seen more in those participants with a greater degree of circadian misalignment.
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Researchers explained, "Shift workers -- as well as individuals experiencing circadian disruption, including jet lag -- may benefit from our meal timing intervention. Our findings open the door for a novel sleep/circadian behavioural strategy that might also benefit individuals experiencing mental health disorders. Our study adds to a growing body of evidence finding that strategies that optimise sleep and circadian rhythms may help promote mental health."
They added, "Meal timing is emerging as an important aspect of nutrition that may influence physical health. But the causal role of the timing of food intake on mental health remains to be tested. Future studies are required to establish if changes in meal timing can help individuals experiencing depressive and anxiety/anxiety-related disorders."
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