When do you like to snuggle into bed at night?
Is it at a reasonable hour, not too long after the sun tucks away behind the horizon? Or do you find yourself forcefully putting yourself to bed just hours before the sun returns in the morning?
Well, your sleep preferences can give you major clues as to whether or not you are likely to be depressed.
The thing about depression is that it is tricky. A lot of people are confused about the symptoms, so they have a difficult time recognizing it. Even more people are unaware of the fact the people with type 2 diabetes are at significantly greater risk to develop depression.
Diabetes & Depression
Research is still a bit unclear exactly why patients with diabetes are more likely to be depressed, though they have started to narrow in on the linkage. Many believe that depression is a result of the metabolic effects that diabetes has on the brain.
Diabetes is a disease that prevents proper glucose metabolism, so glucose ends up 
saturating the blood. This can have damaging effects on blood vessels and the brain. As a result, cognitive decline and mood disorders are very common in people with diabetes.
Depression is a sly fella since it’s not that obvious to diagnose. A diagnosis may be based on many other factors other than sadness. In fact, sadness isn’t even required to make a diagnosis of depression!
Because of this, diabetics should be vigilant about their daily routine and potential symptoms of depression.
Night Owls Are More Likely to be Depressed
One researcher, Sirimon Reutrakul, M.D., an associate professor at Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand, decided to look further into the connection between sleep patterns and depression.
Specifically, Dr. Reutrakul studied patients with type 2 diabetes to determine if sleep 
preferences have an impact on mental health. She provided basic questionnaires to assess sleep habits and depression levels.
Her team found that the people who preferred to go to sleep late, and consequently wake up later in the day, were more likely to be depressed.
Reutrakul admits that more research is needed to make more definitive claims, but the patterns are telling.
If you are heading to bed after midnight each night, do yourself a favor and adjust your sleep times; your mental health depends on it!
[expand title=”References“]
Science Daily. URL Link. Accessed April 7, 2017.
PsychCentral. URL Link. Accessed April 7, 2017.
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