We’ve all heard of seasonal affective disorder — the phenomenon that explains why so many people feel more depressed during the winter. But can our mental health fluctuate at different times of the day, too?
As it turns out, your mom was right when she said that everything would look brighter in the morning. A new study published in the BMJ Mental Health journal reveals that people tend to have a brighter, more optimistic outlook in the morning, with mental health and well-being at their lowest around midnight.
Here’s what the study found
The observational study analyzed self-reported data on mental health and well-being from the University College London COVID-19 Social Study, which began in March 2020, was regularly monitored until November 2021, then had additional monitoring up to March 2022. Using data from 49,218 adults, researchers looked at whether time of day, season or year was associated with variations in mental health (i.e., depressive and/or anxiety symptoms), life satisfaction, a sense of life being worthwhile and loneliness. They found that:
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People generally feel in the best frame of mind in the morning, and feel the worst around midnight.
There’s “some inconsistent evidence” that the day of the week is associated with mental health and well-being.
Mental health is overall best in the summer. Depressive and anxiety symptoms and feelings of loneliness are highest, and happiness levels and life satisfaction levels are lowest in the winter.
The study authors write that the changes in mental health and well-being throughout the day could be explained by the physiological changes associated with the body’s biological clock — for example, cortisol peaking shortly after waking and reaching its lowest levels at night.
“We repeatedly saw mornings align with better mental health and well-being, and midnight with the lowest — a pattern that held even when accounting for variations in individual characteristics,” Feifei Bu, lead author of the study and a research fellow at University College London, tells chof360 Life.
While Bu says the COVID-19 pandemic “undoubtedly shaped many aspects of daily life, and its toll on mental health is well-documented,” those conditions were carefully factored into the analysis of the data.
“It is reassuring that our findings match pre-pandemic studies on mood cycles,” she says. “This suggests that the time-of-day association may be more than just a special case of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Still, Bu acknowledges that further research in non-crisis settings and in other countries is needed.
OK, great. But what can I do with this information?
Bu says the knowledge that people’s mental health and well-being can fluctuate throughout the day may have important implications for future research, as well as for mental health support and services.
But she also warns that the study’s results should not be expected to explain specific individual circumstances.
“On average, people do seem to feel best in the morning and worst late at night,” Bu says. “But our analyses also revealed how much individuals can vary around the overall trend. What’s true for the group is not always true for every individual.”
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Chloe Carmichael, a clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety, tells chof360 Life that the study’s findings align with what she often sees in her professional work. That said, there’s certainly some variety.
“For many people, mornings are generally best — we're fresh and at least somewhat rested,” Carmichael says. “However, of course, there are people who absolutely ‘don't do mornings,’ but they get very creative, social or focused in the evenings.”
Experts say it helps to get to know your own mental health peaks and valleys — and to prepare accordingly. Here’s what they suggest.
Get to know your daily and seasonal mood rhythms. Carmichael says that many people are intuitively aware of their own daily and seasonal mood patterns. But if you need help determining them, you can make a point to observe yourself with that issue in mind. “For many people, just being intentional about noticing your patterns is very helpful,” she says. “If you need more help, make a list of recent ups and downs. Do you notice any patterns?”
Anticipate when you’re likely to feel down — and plan accordingly. We can experience “anticipatory anxiety” when we know something stressful is on the horizon, Carmichael says. “Autumn blues,” for example, can precede the winter blues for many people. Kirk Schneider, a psychologist and author of Life-Enhancing Anxiety: Key to a Sane World, tells chof360 Life that in his own work, he has noticed that "anniversary reactions" — like dates of significant losses, deaths or trauma — are particularly difficult for people to deal with, and knowing that can help you cope. “Anticipating anniversary reactions, holidays and periods like dark winter days can help people to prepare themselves and others for potential stress and thereby assist them to make more informed choices about what they take on or whom they engage,” Schneider says.
Prepare and make adjustments as needed. According to Carmichael, identifying your mood rhythms can be helpful on the practical level of self-care, and also give you a sense of control. “If an obligation arises that forces you out of your comfort zone, prepare as best you can,” Carmichael says. “For example, consider a short afternoon nap if you are an ‘Early to bed, early to rise’ type but you must attend an evening meeting.”
Take some time to check in with yourself. Schneider says that “Pause, reflect and respond” can be a helpful mantra when you feel a challenging mental state coming on. “Such a process may also lead one to contact a friend, engage in mindful meditation, take a walk or, if necessary, contact a therapist,” he explains. “Any of these activities can help us to gain a new perspective on our anguish, so that we begin to see more options than just our sadness, anger or fear.”
Share your mood rhythms with others. Try what psychologists call "narrating your experience," which Carmichael says just means letting others know if you recognize that factors such as time or season are affecting your mood or mental state. This, she adds, is a much better alternative than bailing on someone because you’re feeling out of sorts. Carmichael explains: “Most people can be sympathetic if you say, ‘I'm sorry, this is a lot for me to digest right now. I'll be much fresher in the morning, and I'd like to give this the attention it deserves. Could we plan to talk at 9 a.m.?'"
