According to the latest scientific research on the subject, it appears that certain simple and accessible practices could have a significant influence on people’s mental health. For example, a recent study has examined the role of light exposure, both at day and at night.

A team led by researchers from the Monash School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Australia, examined data from 86,772 participants from the UK Biobank, focusing on their exposure to light, their sleep, their physical activity and their mental health.

Published in the journal “Nature Mental Health”, the research reports that the risk of depression increased by 30% in people with high exposure to light at night. Conversely, this risk decreased by 20% in those exposed to large amounts of light during the day.

This highlights the “powerful influence” of daytime and nighttime light exposure on subjects’ mental health. The researchers explain that similar patterns of results were seen for other behaviours such as self-harm, psychosis, bipolar disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, without providing precise figures.

“Once people understand that their light exposure patterns have a powerful influence on their mental health, they can take some simple steps to optimise their wellbeing,” said study lead author Sean Cain of Monash School of Psychological Sciences. “It’s about getting bright light in the day and darkness at night.

“Humans today challenge their biological systems, spending around 90% of the day indoors under electric lighting that is too dim during the day and too bright at night compared to natural light and dark cycles. It is confusing our bodies and making us unwell,” he concluded.