|
1
|
Menculini G, Cirimbilli F, Raspa V, Scopetta F, Cinesi G, Chieppa AG, Cuzzucoli L, Moretti P, Balducci PM, Attademo L, Bernardini F, Erfurth A, Sachs G, Tortorella A. Insights into the Effect of Light Pollution on Mental Health: Focus on Affective Disorders-A Narrative Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:802. [PMID: 39199494 PMCID: PMC11352354 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14080802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2024] [Revised: 08/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of artificial light at night has emerged as an anthropogenic stressor in recent years. Various sources of light pollution have been shown to affect circadian physiology with serious consequences for metabolic pathways, possibly disrupting pineal melatonin production with multiple adverse health effects. The suppression of melatonin at night may also affect human mental health and contribute to the development or exacerbation of psychiatric disorders in vulnerable individuals. Due to the high burden of circadian disruption in affective disorders, it has been hypothesized that light pollution impacts mental health, mainly affecting mood regulation. Hence, the aim of this review was to critically summarize the evidence on the effects of light pollution on mood symptoms, with a particular focus on the role of circadian rhythms in mediating this relationship. We conducted a narrative review of the literature in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science datasets. After the screening process, eighteen papers were eligible for inclusion. The results clearly indicate a link between light pollution and the development of affective symptoms, with a central role of sleep disturbances in the emergence of mood alterations. Risk perception also represents a crucial topic, possibly modulating the development of affective symptoms in response to light pollution. The results of this review should encourage a multidisciplinary approach to the design of healthier environments, including lighting conditions among the key determinants of human mental health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Menculini
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Federica Cirimbilli
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Veronica Raspa
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Francesca Scopetta
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Gianmarco Cinesi
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Anastasia Grazia Chieppa
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Lorenzo Cuzzucoli
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Patrizia Moretti
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Pierfrancesco Maria Balducci
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
- CSM Terni, Department of Mental Health, Local Health Unit USL Umbria 2, 05100 Terni, Italy
| | - Luigi Attademo
- Department of Mental Health, North West Tuscany Local Health Authority, 57023 Cecina, Italy;
| | - Francesco Bernardini
- SPDC Pordenone, Department of Mental Health, AsFO Friuli Occidentale, 33170 Pordenone, Italy;
| | - Andreas Erfurth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.E.); (G.S.)
- Klinik Hietzing, 1st Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, 1130 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriele Sachs
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.E.); (G.S.)
| | - Alfonso Tortorella
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy; (F.C.); (V.R.); (F.S.); (G.C.); (A.G.C.); (L.C.); (P.M.); (P.M.B.); (A.T.)
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Raman S, Hyland P, Coogan AN. Stability of social jetlag and sleep timing into the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic: Results from a longitudinal study of a nationally representative adult sample in Ireland. Chronobiol Int 2024; 41:29-37. [PMID: 38093635 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2023.2292098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has previously been associated with marked changes in sleep/wake timing arising from the imposition of society-wide infection mitigation measures. Such observations are considered of broader significance as they reveal the social pressures that sleep timing normally operates under. In order to assess how persistent such changes were as the COVID-19 pandemic developed, we assessed sleep timing and quality in a longitudinal study of a nationally-representative sample of Irish adults with data collected at two time-points (December 2021 and March 2021). Data on social jetlag and chronotype was derived from the micro Munich Chronotype Questionnaire from 830 and 843 participants who provided data in December 2020 and March 2021 respectively, of which 338 contributed data to both timepoints. Demographics and measures of insomnia symptoms, anxiety, depression and loneliness were also collected, and data was analysed both within-subjects and cross-sectionally within data waves. Social jetlag (the mismatch between sleep timing on "work" and "free" days) and other measures of sleep timing were stable across the two time-points, although insomnia symptoms improved slightly from December 2020 to March 2021. The mean social jetlag at both timepoints was ~ 30 minutes, considerably lesser than reported pre-pandemic levels in similar populations. Multiple regression analysis of cross-sectional data reveals that the timing of midsleep on "free" days was only a weak-to-moderate predictor of social jetlag, whilst hours worked per week was the strongest predictor of social jetlag. Requirement for "face-to-face" contact with the public at work and urban location of residence also emerged as predictors of social jetlag, although insomnia, anxiety and depression symptoms and loneliness rating did not. We conclude that sleep timing changes that occurred during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic persisted into the second year of the pandemic, and these results further illustrate the key roles working practices and other social factors have in shaping social jetlag.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Raman
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland
| | - Philip Hyland
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland
| | - Andrew N Coogan
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|