Non-Pharmacological Sleep Interventions Can Effectively Treat Depression

Sleep problems are common in people with depression. It is estimated that up to 80% of adults with depression suffer from insomnia or other sleep-related condition. Suffering from insomnia (with and without depression) can lead to an increased risk of several physical and mental health conditions. In fact, suffering from insomnia significantly increases the risk of a person developing depression in the next few years. Sleep problems are also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, anxiety disorders, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

If a person has comorbid insomnia and depression it reduces the effectiveness of treatments for depression. Furthermore, if someone has recovered from depression but continues to suffer from sleep problems they are at greater risk of relapse over the next year.

If someone has both insomnia and depression, treating the depression can improve sleep (but not always). However, the reverse is also true. If you treat the insomnia, depression often subsides. This was confirmed in a recent meta-analysis published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews[1]. The results from 49 studies comprising almost 6,000 subjects showed that overall, non-pharmacological sleep treatments had significant positive effects on depressive symptoms. An effect size of 0.45 was reported which means it had a moderate effect in reducing depressive symptoms. In people with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, sleep treatments had an even greater effect on depressive symptoms. An effect size of 0.81 was reported. This means it had a large clinical effect on depressive symptoms. This all occurred without specifically targeting someone’s depression.

This means that if you are suffering from both insomnia and depression, you should seriously consider treating your insomnia using non-pharmacological treatments. Non-pharmacological treatments include behavioural interventions to improve your sleep (known as sleep hygiene) and/or cognitive-behaviour therapy for insomnia. There are also some natural ingredients that can improve sleep. These include magnesium, glycine, saffron, valerian, and lavender.

References

1. Gee, B., et al. The effect of non-pharmacological sleep interventions on depression symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Med Rev. 2018 Nov 5;43:118-128.