One of the most prominent symptoms of depression is sleep disturbance. Though sleeping problems can have many causes, from an uncomfortable bed to too much caffeine, depression is a very common factor. In fact, sleep problems and sleep deprivation can even contribute to causing depression. It’s estimated that about 80% of people who are depressed experience problems with sleep, usually getting too little of it.

Depression-linked Sleep Disturbances

• One of the most common problems experienced by people suffering from depression is early morning waking. Even though the sufferer is tired, he or she is unable to get back to sleep again.
• Inability to fall asleep is another common sleep problem. In many cases this is linked to anxiety, which very often coexists with depression. People go to bed but toss and turn for hours, unable to get troubling and sometimes intrusive unpleasant thoughts out of their minds.
• Some people have problems with frequent waking during the night. Lying in bed waiting to fall asleep gives people the chance to dwell on their problems, which only makes matters worse.
• Sleeping too much can also be a symptom of an underlying depression. About 10-15% of depression sufferers find that they are unable to get up in the morning despite getting enough sleep.

Although some people reach for the sleeping tablets, this is a superficial solution that addresses the symptoms, not the causes. Also this strategy carries with it the risk of addiction with some categories of sleep medication. Using alcohol to assist sleep is another common strategy, but one that ultimately makes matters worse. Alcohol itself is known to disrupt the quality of sleep and in some cases is the primary problem.

Whatever help sufferers choose to enlist to deal with depression associated with sleep problems, it’s sensible to adopt good sleep hygiene: a regular bedtime, no caffeine or alcohol, avoidance of over-stimulating activities. Embracing a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise can only help, both with disturbances of mood and sleep.