A recent large-scale study from Harvard Medical School suggests that napping during the day and frequent television viewing can negatively contribute to depression.
Depression is a common mental disorder, with more than 264 million people (of all ages) affected.
Changes in lifestyle
While there are several effective treatments for depression (including antidepressant medications), there are also lifestyle changes that can prevent or lessen the impact of depressive symptoms.
According to this large study (over 100,000 participants) from Harvard Medical School, there are many ways to reduce the impact of depression by changing your lifestyle. The factors analyzed included factors such as social interaction, media use, sleep patterns, diet, physical activity, and environmental exposures.
By far the most prominent of these factors in ameliorating depression was the frequency of trusting others, but also visits to family and friends, all of which highlight the important protective effect of social connection and social cohesion .
Over-watching television and napping are contributing factors to worsening depression, although the reason for this is unknown. The study suggests that both daytime naps and excessive television consumption could be associated with sedentary behavior that would later affect your mental health.