It’s likely no surprise to learn that sleep and mental health are tied together. Just think of how you feel in the morning after sleeping well compared to how you feel when you toss and turn all night—groggy, irritable, and often already feeling the effects of stress before the day even begins 

When you sleep well, you wake up feeling bright and awake, ready to take on the day, and may even have fewer aches and pains. And when you sleep poorly or barely at all, you wake up feeling tired, irritable, and it takes effort to focus and think straight. 

If depression or anxiety are in the mix, sleep troubles can make you wonder: Do you have depression or anxiety because you can’t sleep or are you having trouble sleeping because of anxiety or depression? 

These questions can be difficult to answer with certainty and, honestly, both can be true. What we do know for sure is that sleep is essential for good physical and mental health. The more you know, the easier it is to address and resolve the core issues. 

Depression and Sleeping Problems

Persistent sleeping problems—trouble falling asleep and staying asleep—can make almost everything difficult, including managing your emotions and coping with everyday stressors. This can make it difficult to stay in a positive mood and leave you vulnerable to depression. In turn, having depression can make it hard to stay asleep and difficult to go back to sleep after mid-night wake-ups. In fact, 75% of people with depression have trouble falling or staying asleep, and people with persistent sleeplessness (insomnia) may have up to a 10 times greater risk of becoming depressed.¹ 

The takeaway here is if you find yourself suddenly having problems sleeping, you want to act on it right away. This can be through sleep medications, sleep supplements, or little changes in your daily routine ranging from meditation to using sleep masks and blackout curtains. If you think you might have depression, regardless of whether sleep issues are involved, you should talk to your doctor to address the root causes before any other problems arise.

Anxiety and Poor Sleep

Much like depression, anxiety and poor sleep are also linked. We know not getting enough quality sleep can increase your risk for mental health disorders. In addition, studies have shown that even healthy people experience increased anxiety after poor sleep.² 

If you have anxiety, you’re probably already familiar with how it can disrupt your sleep—intrusive thoughts, worries, and hyperarousal can make it very difficult to fall asleep. What’s worse is that stress about falling asleep can cause sleep anxiety, which can make it even harder to fall and stay asleep. 

In a 2023 study, researchers found that sleep loss not only caused increased anxiety symptoms but also resulted in fewer positive emotions like joy, happiness and contentment—even after relatively short periods of sleep loss such as going to bed later or losing only a few hours of sleep.³ 

The good news is that when an anxiety disorder is treated, sleep typically also improves.

Sleep Meds and Anxiety or Depression

For many people, stress is the tipping point. Whether it’s work, relationships, or life transitions, taking steps to reduce stress during the day can support better sleep at night. You may not know whether poor sleep is causing your symptoms of anxiety or depression or whether anxiety or depression is disrupting your sleep. But, understanding the possible connection is a good place to start and taking action can help you feel more in control and less stressed. 

It’s important to note, though, that if you do suffer from anxiety or depression, you should talk to your doctor first to decide the best course of action. Sleep meds can help with occasional sleeplessness but are not designed to treat anxiety, depression or even long-term insomnia. Plus, you’ll want to make sure that any sleep aids or supplements you want to use can be taken safely with the medications prescribed by your doctor for anxiety or depression.

So, yes, safety first and then sleep. Good sleep seems to help almost everything in some way, and that’s why we’re so darn passionate about it! You deserve to get the sleep you’ve been dreaming of, so be patient and keep trying. Address any obstacle standing in your way—you’ve got this!

¹ Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection. John Hopkins Medicine (online): https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/depression-and-sleep-understanding-the-connection 

² How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health. Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. 2022, Mar 16 (online): https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health 

3 Sleep Deprivation Makes Us Less Happy, More Anxious. American Psychological Association. 2023 Dec 21. (press release online) https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/12/sleep-deprivation-anxious