“Just one more minute…,” you mutter to yourself as you are busy trying out Blizzard’s latest Diablo 3 exploit that sees you make the most out of your barbarian character. Well, that solitary minute magically extends itself into 10, and eventually, a full hour has passed by, and you are nowhere near being sleepy. Instead, you decided to take a break from the computer, whip up a sandwich from the kitchen, and turn on the TV to see what’s happening in the late night news.
Researchers claim that this particular lifestyle is not to be recommended at all – as sitting in front of a computer or TV screen into the wee hours of the morning might actually increase your chances of ending up depressed. The very same US scientists from the Ohio State University Medical Center actually exposed hamsters to dim light at night, managing to single out changes in behavior as well as the hamsters’ brains showing shockingly striking similarities to symptoms that are commonly found in depressed people.
If you happen to living out this particularly unhealthy lifestyle, there is hope. The research team mentioned that “people who stay up late in front of the television and computer may be able to undo some of the harmful effects just by going back to a regular light-dark cycle and minimizing their exposure to artificial light at night.”
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