Insomnia and Depression: Seriously Frustrating Bedfellows
Lousy sleep can fuel depression, and depression can ruin sleep. But there are remedies for both, including several that offer a positive one-two punch.
This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression.
Let’s say two people — we’ll call them Chris and Kerry — have been successfully treated for depression. They’re no longer clinically depressed. Yet Chris has some residual sadness, and Kerry still deals with some insomnia. You might think Chris is the most likely to relapse back into depression.
“But in fact it’s the opposite,” said Matthew Reid, PhD, a fellow in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Someone with insomnia is up to 10 times more likely to experience clinical depression again, Reid said, based on research suggesting sleep can help prevent and treat depression.
“Sleep is a tremendously important part of the recovery process, and one that, unfortunately, is often overlooked,” Reid told me. “There has been too much focus on treating the ‘core’ symptoms of depression, and hoping sleep will improve as a result. However, our studies and others have shown that this…
