Less screen time, more sleep key for preventing depression: Study

Sydney, Nov 12 : Researchers have found that lifestyle factors such as less screen time, adequate sleep, a better-quality diet, and physical activity strongly impact depression.
With evolving data exploring the link between depression and lifestyle factors, the international research team led by Western Sydney University in Australia said that its findings published in the journal BMC Medicine may help inform public health policy.
A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of data from the UK Biobank involved almost 85,000 people to see the results.
The study found a significant relationship between physical activity, healthy diet, and optimal sleep (7-9 hours) associated with less frequency of depressed mood.
Screen time and tobacco smoking were also significantly associated with a higher frequency of depressed mood.
Over time, the lifestyle factors which were protective of depressed mood in both individuals with clinical depression and those without a depressive disorder was optimal sleep (7-9 hours) and lower screen time, while a better-quality diet was indicated to be protective of depressed mood in those without depression