From The New York Times: Clinicians have long known that sleep schedules and levels of exposure to sunlight can have a significant impact on people’s mood and mental health. New research shows that altering the circadian rhythm with sleep deprivation and exposure to early morning light has powerful and rapid antidepressant effects.
“In one study of 60 hospitalized patients with bipolar depression who were taking antidepressants or lithium, 70 percent of those who did not have a history of drug resistance improved rapidly with sleep deprivation and early morning light, and 57 percent remained well after nine months. Encouragingly, 44 percent of patients who had failed to respond to at least one trial of anti-depressants also improved.”
