Going To Bed After 1 a.m. Is Bad For Mental Health

Some people swear they do their best thinking or work late at night, but there may be a major downside to being a night owl. But don't go to bed too late! New research finds that people who love staying up until the wee hours don’t really thrive late at night and even worse? It could hurt their mental health.

In a new study from Stanford University of nearly 75-thousand adults, researchers compared participants’ preferred sleep timing, known as chronotype, with their actual sleep behavior. And they found that regardless of what time they prefer to go to bed, everyone is better off going to bed early.

Researchers admit they were surprised by the findings, as they expected that following your chronotype would be more important. “We found that alignment with your chronotype is not crucial here, and that really it’s being up late that is not good for your mental health,” explains senior study author Jamie Zeitzer. “The big unknown is why.”

Goodnight, North Carolina! Or should I say good luck? If you've been having trouble sleeping lately, which might be because of all this thunder, lightning, and rain, it won't be hard for you to believe that North Carolinas gets some of the worst nights' sleep.

It's true that not all states are created equal when it comes to getting a good night's sleep! In some states, sweet dreams can be harder to come by than in others, whether it's due to pillow quality, snoring partners, or stress levels.

The Aeris team wanted to know which states slept the most and the least, as well as which slept the best and the worst. Over 3,400 Americans were asked how well (or poorly) they slept, how long they slept, and how they slept. North Carolina ranks among the worst states for sleep. You can check out the top ten worst states to get a (bad) night's rest below.