<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some people living with </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/depression" rel="" target="_blank" title="depression"><span>depression</span></a><span> have "disrupted" body clocks similar to jet lag, according to new Australian research.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A Sydney-based study of 69 young people who have sought mental health care discovered almost a quarter showed jet lag symptoms without having travelled across time zones.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Researchers at Sydney University say this finding could result in new treatment for mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/rba-surcharges-proposal-nsw-pub-owner-says-customers-will-pay-more/ede51b8d-a09c-436d-912b-776a012c8a99" target="_blank"><strong><span>Pub owner rips push to return $1.2 billion to Aussies</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The study involved two groups of young people aged between 16 and 35 – one group who had presented to mental health clinics for treatment and another with no history of mental illness.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Participants were then monitored overnight in a chronobiology lab to measure their sleep and body clock.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We analysed participants' core body temperature, cortisol levels and melatonin levels, which we know play important roles in how our bodies manage the circadian rhythm – our 24-hour cycles which regulate things like wakefulness and sleep," said research fellow Dr Joanne Carpenter.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/depression-study-australia-experts-say-depression-linked-to-internal-jet-lag/8ed8de58-c41f-4c9f-8843-d9c1620e6a57" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Melatonin is a regulating hormone that tells our body when it is time to sleep, while cortisol is a stress hormone which is usually at its highest level shortly after a person wakes up.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Body temperature, meanwhile, is cyclical depending on your sleep schedule.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Carpenter said the study looked at these three key factors and discovered 23 per cent of patients were experiencing a "physiological jet lag".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/mark-latham-domestic-abuse-allegations-response/2ede09a3-b9ae-4435-8ebc-0714200ecc2a" target="_blank"><strong><span>Mark Latham denies shocking allegations of domestic abuse by ex-girlfriend</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We found that 23 per cent of patients had at least two of these circadian rhythm measures out of sync with each other," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is similar to the disruption we see when travelling across time zones or undertaking shift work, when the body clock becomes out of sync with the external environment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We also found a correlation between how out of sync patients' body clocks were and the severity of their depressive symptoms," Carpenter added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The discovery could also change how we approach treating mental health, study co-author Dr Jacob Crouse said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-ipswich-court-man-charged-with-manslaughter-over-babys-campsite-drowning-to-seek-bail/29b8cb60-cae0-4d6d-894f-27cd4c17cfd9" target="_blank"><strong><span>Man charged with manslaughter over baby's campsite drowning to seek bail</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our findings suggest we might need to think differently about what kinds of treatments we're giving people with mood disorders," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"And whether we should be targeting body clocks as another option for managing these conditions."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This strong early evidence opens up exciting new ways we can study and potentially treat common mental health disorders and hopefully improve the lives the thousands of young Australians living with depression anxiety," Carpenter added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The researchers noted that internal jet lag is not a cause of poor mental health, and that further research is needed to establish the link between it and the body clock.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.</span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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