Poll Finds Strong Links Between Depression and Lack of Sleep

THURSDAY, March 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A new poll on sleep and mental health has revealed that more than 90 percent of adults who reported they get good sleep were also free of depressive symptoms.

In its annual poll, the nonprofit National Sleep Foundation (NSF) focused this year on the impact of sleep on mental health because of the current mental health crisis in the United States.

"In the day-to-day execution of our sleep health mission, we give lots of simple, evidence-based, and consensus-driven tips and tools to help people get enough of the quality sleep they need," NSF CEO John Lopos said in a foundation news release. "For this year's poll, we were compelled to look again at the connection between sleep health and mental health conditions like depression."

The Sleep in America poll also showed that about 65 percent of adults who were dissatisfied with their sleep experience had mild or greater levels of depressive symptoms. Those who reported difficulties falling or staying asleep just two nights a week had higher levels of depressive symptoms than those without sleep difficulties. About 50 percent of all adults who sleep less than the recommended seven to nine hours nightly experienced mild or greater levels of depressive symptoms.

"One unique aspect of this year's research was how we combined NSF's multiple validated measures of the population's sleep health with an established measure of depressive symptoms, to examine the link between sleep health and depressive symptoms in the general population," Joseph Dzierzewski, Ph.D., vice president of research and scientific affairs at the NSF, said in the news release. "As a licensed clinician, I'd say there's never been a more important time to think about the strong connection between our sleep and mental health."

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