People who have irregular sleep schedules may be at a heightened risk of experiencing bad moods or even depression, according to experts at the University of Michigan.
Released in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine, the study included data from nearly 2,100 physicians, measuring sleep and mood for a span of one year.
The physicians were regarded as interns, as they began their first year of residency training. Data was gathered on the interns’ sleep patterns by a device worn on the wrist, reporting any mood fluctuations through a mobile application.
“These devices, for the first time, allow us to record sleep over extensive time periods without effort on behalf of the user,” according to Cathy Goldstein, co-author of the study, as stated in a news release.
“We still have questions surrounding the accuracy of the sleep predictions consumer trackers make, though initial work suggests similar performance to clinical and research grade actigraphy devices which are cleared by the FDA.”
Another researcher of the study, also commented on the findings, stating: “These findings highlight sleep consistency as an underappreciated factor to target in depression and wellness. The work also underscores the potential of wearable devices in understanding important constructs relevant to health that we previously could not study at scale.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
