University of Texas analysis of existing research demonstrates that sleep and circadian dysfunction associated with unnatural light exposure significantly contribute to the development of a number of psychiatric disorders

About study

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Title:	The sleep-circadian interface: a window into mental disorders
Author:	N. Meyer, R. Lok, C. Schmidt, S. D. Kyle, C. McClung, C. Cajochen, F.A.J.L. Scheer, M.W. Jones, S.L. Chellappa The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
Date:	23. February 2024
Source:	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2214756121
PDF:	The sleep-circadian interface_ a window into mental disorders.PDF

Brief summary

The American study, based on scientific evidence, demonstrated that sleep, circadian rhythms, and psychological processes are closely interconnected and influence each other. Sleep disturbances can worsen or trigger psychiatric symptoms in predisposed individuals, but interventions aimed at improving sleep disorders and stabilizing circadian rhythms can effectively alleviate these symptoms. Insufficient and improperly timed exposure to bright (daylight) light significantly contributes to the disruption of sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. This can lead to the development and maintenance of various mental disorders and negatively affect regulatory pathways responsible for mood, sleep, and other physiological processes. The authors emphasize the importance of these factors during adolescence and young adulthood, a period when the risk of developing mental disorders is highest.

Sleep and circadian factors play critical roles in brain maturing

Closer integration of psychiatry with the science of sleep and circadian rhythms leads to better understanding and treatment of mental disorders. Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances are common in most mental illnesses and can both precipitate and exacerbate psychiatric symptoms.

Bright light therapy has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression and may have antidepressant effects through modulation of monoaminergic pathways and sleep-circadian parameters

Light therapy has been studied as a non-pharmacological, biologically oriented treatment approach in psychiatry, with the most consistent effects demonstrated in seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Appropriately timed light therapy can lead to improved sleep timing and continuity in neuropsychiatric disorders, thus serving as a therapeutic tool.