If you want to get that extra boost of energising hormones in the morning, go to sleep depressed and lonely.
A new study has revealed that when older adults go to bed lonely, sad or overwhelmed, they have elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone linked to depression, obesity and other health problems when chronic, shortly after waking the next morning.
Elevated levels of cortisol actually cue the body on a day-to-day basis that it is time to rev up to deal with loneliness and other negative experiences, according to Northwestern University's Emma K. Adam, the lead investigator of the study.
"You've gone to bed with loneliness, sadness, feelings of being overwhelmed, then along comes a boost of hormones in the morning to give you the energy you need to meet the demands of the day," Adam said.