Depression linked to ‘internal jet lag', circadian study finds

Depression linked to internal jet lag study finds

Circadian rhythms controlling sleep were out of sync in a quarter of young people with depression in this Sydney-based study. Read more

sydney.edu.au

Researchers at the University of Sydney measured core body temperature, cortisol and melatonin in 69 young people—some seeking mental-health care, others not—by monitoring them overnight in a chronobiology lab. They found that almost a quarter of the patients had mismatched body-clock rhythms (an “internal jet lag”) despite never crossing time zones.

That internal misalignment was linked to more severe depressive symptoms, suggesting circadian rhythms could become a new target for treating mood disorders like depression and bipolar. The team plans to track patients over time to see if syncing up those body clocks can improve mental-health outcomes.