| Have you experienced the winter ‘blues’ or noticed your mood wearing down towards the end of the day? Well, a recent study published on February 4, 2025, explored how mental health and well-being fluctuate throughout the day, analyzing nearly one million observations from 49,218 adults in the UK.The data were collected from the University College London COVID-19 Social Study, which collected repeated mental health measures over 2 years. Participants provided self-reported assessments of depression, anxiety, happiness, life satisfaction, sense of life being worthwhile, and loneliness at different times of the day. Key Findings: . Self-reported mental health and well-being are generally highest in the morning and decline toward midnight. . Seasonal and weekly variations exist, with mental health improving during the summer and showing greater fluctuations on weekends compared to weekdays. . Loneliness remains relatively stable across time, whereas hedonic (happiness, life satisfaction) and eudemonic (sense of meaning) well-being show the most variation. Theoretical Rationale for Diurnal (throughout the day) Changes: The study highlights physiological and environmental factors that contribute to fluctuations in mental health across the day: Hormonal and Neurochemical Cycles: Cortisol, the primary stress-regulating hormone, follows a diurnal rhythm, peaking shortly after waking and steadily declining throughout the day, reaching its lowest levels between 8:00 PM and 4:00 AM. This aligns with the observed decline in mental well-being later in the day. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter critical for mood regulation, also follows a daily cycle. The serotonin 5-HT1A receptor and the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) exhibit diurnal variations, meaning serotonin activity fluctuates throughout the day. Since serotonin influences mood, its daily fluctuations likely contribute to shifts in mental health and well-being. Environmental Influences: Sunlight exposure boosts serotonin production, potentially explaining why well-being tends to be higher in the morning and in summer. Noise, urban stressors, and air pollution are more prevalent in the afternoon and evening, which may worsen mental health later in the day. Behavioral and Social Rhythms: Daily activities such as waking, commuting, working, exercising, and socializing follow structured patterns that can influence mental health. People tend to engage in more social and leisure activities on weekends, which may explain why well-being fluctuates more on weekends. Implications: The study emphasizes the importance of considering the time, day, and season when developing mental health research, interventions, and public health services. Understanding these patterns can help optimize mental health support, including crisis services, therapy scheduling, and public health messaging.Are you curious to read the study for yourself? Click the following link and then the ‘PDF’ icon on the top right of your screen! https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301418 |
Bryan Mortimer, MDPsychiatry Resident UAB UAB Heersink School of Medicine |
Are you a Night Owl or an Early Bird? Study Identifies Patterns of Mental Health and Well-Being