The Possible Link Between Sleep Disorders and Depression

According to a study conducted on 10,000 Australian women, sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, are the hidden causes of depression among young people between 21 to 25 years of age. Chronic sleep disorders can increase an individual’s risk for depression by as much as five times.

Based on the study they conducted, 10% of Australian women, ages 21 to 25, have experienced sleeping problems. During the survey, this 10% did not experience any mental problems. However, Dorothy Bruck, a psychologist from the University of Victoria and the director of the Sleep Health Foundation, reported that after nine years, these women were four or five times more prone to be diagnosed with depression.  Bruck presented these findings at the Australian Psychological Society’s Health Psychology conference earlier this month.

Ian Hickie, the executive director of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute, said that studying the disruption of the sleep cycle, or the circadian rhythm, may be able to help in the search for the treatments of depression. According to him, sleep disorders may not only affect an individual’s mood; unpleasant mood may actually be caused a disturbed sleep cycle. Also, mood disorders may be the surest signs of depression in the future.

Hickie also mentioned that 40% of patients diagnosed with depression have histories of sleep disorders. These people are also at risk of possibly having bipolar disease.

Professor Hickie said that young patients with depression in conjunction with a sleep disorder do not react well to antidepressant medications. Antidepressant treatments can further disturb the circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle, making the  patient’s sleep disorder worsen.

People suffering from sleep disorders have low levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone). Having low levels of this hormone can lead to obesity, diabetes and many more medical problems. Hickie said that medications for these problems may be risky if taken together with antidepressant medication.

Hickie added that further studies still have to be made. For example, a study must be made to see if behavior can be changed by instituting healthy sleeping habits. A series of studies must also be conducted to see if having a regular sleep-wake cycle can prevent depression. He advises that individuals should go to bed early (by no later than midnight). Falling asleep after midnight will only worsen one’s sleeping problem.

Professor Bruck said that people should give importance to their sleeping habits. She added that bad sleeping habits and sleep disorders can greatly affect brain function, which can lead to depression. Chronic sleep disorders can affect the brain’s ability to control emotions. Bruck has seen several insomniac people, and she can tell how much their sleeping habits have affected their emotions and mood. Professor Bruck also said that sleep disorders are persistent. If a person has a sleep disorder, there is a 12% chance that this sleeping problem will come back nine years later.

People who are aware of the negative effects of their bad sleeping habits are advised to try to correct these habits. Some patients try to force themselves to get enough sleep and expect to see results right away. However, obtaining good quality of sleep after developing healthy sleeping habits takes time before one can see the positive results.