SLEEP: Staying Up Late Tied to Worse Mental Health

TUESDAY, June 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Those who prefer to go to sleep later report poorer mental health, which is partially explained by greater reported loneliness, according to a study presented at SLEEP 2026, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, held from June 14 to 17 in Baltimore.

Alec Harlow, from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and colleagues examined how chronotype, nocturnal loneliness, and general loneliness relate to mental health. The analysis included 442 survey participants. 

The researchers found that individuals with a later chronotype reported poorer mental health (r = 0.33), higher nocturnal loneliness (r = −0.22), and higher general loneliness (r = −0.30). In the full mediation model, both nocturnal loneliness (b = −2.95) and general loneliness (b = −9.88) were uniquely associated with poorer mental health; both contributed significant indirect effects (nocturnal loneliness: indirect = 0.063; general loneliness: indirect = 0.279). There was also a significant total indirect effect (indirect = 0.342). The mediation was partial, as the direct effect of chronotype on mental health remained significant (b = 0.309).

“Evaluating and addressing loneliness, including the challenges that arise at night, such as anxiety, may represent a meaningful intervention target for therapists, clinicians, and researchers to improve the well-being of people with later chronotypes,” Harlow said in a statement.

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