People living in areas with less sunlight have less opportunities to adjust their circadian clock and therefore, are at a higher risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Highlights
- People living in areas where there is less sunlight are at higher risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Living in areas with more sunlight can lower the prevalence rates of OCD
Coles and her research team have read through many papers that made a note on the prevalence rates of OCD in certain places and then recorded the latitudes of each location.
Coles said that this delayed sleep-wake pattern can reduce exposure to morning light, which can potentially contribute to a misalignment between their internal biology and the external light-dark cycle.
Individuals with OCD usually complain that they are not able to fall asleep and often sleep very late to compensate for that lost sleep. Eventually, they adopt to a delayed sleep-wake pattern, which can make their symptoms worse.
Individuals living in areas with less sunlight have less opportunities to adjust their circadian clock, therefore, leading to increased OCD symptoms.
Need for Further Research
"First, we are looking at relations between sleep timing and OCD symptoms repeatedly over time in order to begin to think about causal relationships. Second, we are measuring circadian rhythms directly by measuring levels of melatonin and having people wear watches that track their activity and rest periods. Finally, we are conducting research to better understand how sleep timing and OCD are related," said Coles.
Also, the team of researchers hopes that further study can investigate how exposure to morning light can help develop new treatment recommendations that could benefit individuals with OCD.
Reference:
- Meredith E.Coles, Carle Jordan Wirshba, et al.Obsessive compulsive disorder prevalence increases with latitude , Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders DOI:10.1016/j.jocrd.2018.04.001
Source-Medindia