Are you an early bird or a night owl? A study conducted in the United Kingdom suggested that one of them is healthier than the other. In a study conducted among 85,000 participants, sleep data was gathered from wrist activity monitors worn by the participants. And the study found that people with a misaligned body clock were more likely to report depression, reported CNN.

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The study was conducted by the UK Biobank, a long-term biobank study based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Researchers compared the sleep data to self-reports of their mood. “The health problems associated with being a night owl are likely a result of being a night owl living in a morning person’s world, which leads to disruption in their body’s circadian rhythms”, said Kristen Knutson, a sleep specialist and an associate professor of neurology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, reported CNN.

Senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School Dr Jessica Tyrell said that misaligning our internal body clock is highly associated with depression, and “having a higher misalignment was associated with higher odds of depression”.

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Studies related to sleep, including Knuckston’s, drew a relationship between sleep cycles and depression. Tyrell added, “…with some studies suggesting that these individuals have a higher prevalence of depression and lower well-being”.

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Tyrell further added, “if you’re a morning person, then you are less likely to have depression and more likely to report a higher well-being. This may in part be due to people who are morning people are less likely to have social jet lag”, reported CNN.