College students are not the only ones who are staying up during the later hours. Those in the regular community who work jobs that are shift jobs like restaurant workers, nurses, security guards, and police officers could also have irregular sleep schedules. According to a study done by the American Public Health Association, staying up in the later hours creates confusion for the sleep circadian cycles which can then lead to a rise in mental health problems including anxiety and depression. Along with staying up later, this causes people to eat later rather than just eating their meals during the daytime hours. Studies have shown that anxiety and depression have also been a consequence of this.
The circadian clock is not just connected to sleep patterns but is also connected to when people eat their meals. When you eat later into the nighttime, these meals can intervene with your metabolism causing you to have a higher body mass index than the average person. This could then lead to obesity which often affects depression levels. A study completed by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed that those that ate their meals during the daytime hours did not report any mood changes versus those that ate meals during the daytime and nighttime hours who reported rising levels of anxiety and depression. This was due to the changes in their meal time in congruence with their circadian clock.
Meal timing is not just good for your mental health, but also for physical health. Though it is harder to eat during only daytime hours when your work or school schedule conflicts with this, luckily, there are solutions to this problem. One solution to this would be to try to manipulate your schedule to ensure you’re not eating into the wee hours of the night. Eating daytime meals that are filling and high in fiber and protein will help when working later into the night. If you do have to eat a later meal, make sure that it is a healthy one with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and foods high in protein. Eating your main meal before going to work is also a better option than eating after. If you are still hungry after work, try eating a light, healthy snack before bed instead of fast food or anything high in fats. Drinking water throughout the day will also make you feel fuller and less hungry.
Overall, working later into the night is hard enough on your circadian clock and can cause depression and anxiety. Although choosing healthier food options and sticking to a regular eating schedule can help support both your mental and physical health.
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