The POWERFUL Connection Between Mood, Depression, and Sleep
By Jason Wooden, PhD | February 26, 2025
It’s not uncommon for individuals to struggle with BOTH depression and sleep. In this article, we highlight the powerful connections between mind, body, and sleep health.
The connections between mind, mood, and body are more powerful than you realize
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to fall asleep when you’re feeling down?
And why things sometimes look gloomier after a bad night…?
You’re not the only one.
The brain and body interact in POWERFUL ways we’re still learning about.
Mind-body connections have been recognized for millennia with both Plato and Aristotle pondering the relationship between the two. While the ancients didn’t know about biology and neurochemistry, they were astute enough to discern there are deep connections.
Since then, growing research confirms that emotions affect physical wellbeing. A recent study suggests that the mind-body connection is actually built into the brain.
Regardless of how it works, most of us know from personal experience thoughts and mood can affect the body in both positive AND negative ways.
Having an “upbeat mental state” has been linked to improved blood pressure, lower risk for heart disease, healthier weight, and improved blood sugar levels.
We’ve all heard of the famous runner’s high.
When exercising, relaxed, or feeling happy, “feel good hormones” are released in the body which can act on the various organs and tissues in ways that promote health.
On the other hand, it’s not uncommon to feel headaches when stressed…
Stomach aches or diarrhea when anxious…
Or more aches and pains when depressed.
The same is true for sleep. It’s easier to fall asleep when feeling upbeat and harder when feeling anxious.
Let’s take a deeper look at the connection between mood, depression, and sleep.
What depression does to your sleep
On any given night, 1 in 3 individuals struggle with insomnia for various reasons including bad habits, doing the wrong things at night, underlying health issues, AND mood.
Depression is a common condition that causes feelings of sadness and changes how you think. In the US, roughly 1 in 5 individuals struggle with depression while worldwide 280 million people are affected by it.
Signs of depression:
- Feeling sad, irritable, or hopeless
- Loss of interest in things you enjoy
- Change in appetite
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Low energy or fatigue
- Difficulty thinking or forgetfulness
Source: American Psychiatric Association
It’s not uncommon for someone to feel too depressed to sleep. In fact, poor sleep is a common symptom of depression whether its difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early.
And let’s be honest.
It’s hard to sleep when you’re feeling down or your mind is racing which is why it’s no surprise 3 out of 4 people struggle with sleep when depressed.
As far as what’s going on in the body, depression is thought to affect neurotransmitters in the brain that promote sleep.
What a bad night of sleep does to cause depression
Let’s talk about feeling down after a bad night of sleep night of sleep.
We all know from personal experience how a bad night of sleep can ruin your mood and your day. It’s a common topic online like this thread here with people complaining about waking up in the morning feeling more anxious and hopeless.
It turns out sleep deprivation can affect how your brain regulates emotions.
Individuals who struggle with anxiety and depression are twice as likely to experience mood changes when sleep deprived. It’s just harder to cope when tired.
Research has found that when sleeping 6hrs or less you’re 2.5 times more likely to experience emotional distress.
So, what’s up?
Sleep deprivation is thought to affect the release of feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine which are involved with regulating mood.
The vicious spiral of depression and poor sleep
Okay, here’s the frustrating thing about mood and sleep. There’s a strong bi-directional relationship between depression and sleep which means one can cause more of the other.
A not-so-great example of this would be weight gain. A sedentary lifestyle tends to cause people to gain weight and as they gain weight they’re less likely to exercise.
In this case, feeling down makes it harder to sleep…
And after a bad night of sleep, you wake up feeling more depressed.
Sounds familiar?
Talk about making a bad situation worse.
When dealing with a “chicken-and-egg” situation like this, it’s important to do something for BOTH your sleep AND your mood if you want to avoid a downward spiral.
Should a depressed person sleep in?
It’s obvious why someone who’s feeling this way would want to sleep in. After all, waking up feeling exhausted is no fun.
Turns out insomnia and oversleeping can both be symptoms of depression.
The thing to keep in mind is that oversleeping can get your sleep-wake cycle even more out of whack if you’re not careful.
It may also worsen feelings of depression since when you eventually get up you may feel you missed out on the day and you’re behind on things.
When sleep-deprived, it’s important to do whatever you can to keep things on track. So, as an alternative to sleeping in, you may want to try getting up and taking “smart” naps during the day.
Napping too long can leave you feeling groggy while napping too late can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
For people who are chronically sleep-deprived, it’s important to get help with any ongoing issues affecting your sleep and your mental health.
How to a “smart” nap:
- Keep it short (20 to 30 minutes)
- Set an alarm
- Nap in a calm environment (quiet, dark, and comfortable)
- Nap earlier in the day
- Give yourself time to wake up
Source: Mayo Clinic
How to get your mood and sleep back on track
Now, we get to the good news.
There’s definitely reason for hope since there’s plenty you can do to avoid the cycle of poor sleep and depression.
Unlike the ancients we know a lot more about how the mind, mood, body, and habits interact to affect health and well-being.
Depending on your situation and the specific issues, your options include:
1) Staying on schedule
Your body is pretty in tune with day and night. It’s important to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
When you stay up past bedtime, that’s confusing for the body’s sleep-wake clock. Ditto, when sleeping in…
3) Getting more sunlight
Did you know exposure to natural daylight boosts mood? It can also help keep your sleep-wake on schedule which can make it easier to fall asleep at bedtime.
For added benefits, try combining your exercise with outdoor daylight.
During the darker times of the year, a light therapy lamp can help.
5) Keeping your bedroom sleep friendly
A bad sleep environment can make it even harder to sleep. Ideally, you want your bedroom dark, quiet, and slightly on the cool side.
A comfortable mattress and pillow can help too.
6) Avoiding stimulants
Alcohol may initially make you feel relaxed and drowsy, but during the night your sleep won’t be as restful. Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine can also make it harder to fall asleep
7) Limiting your screen time at night
Ditto TVs, tablets, and smartphones. The bright electronic screens emit blue light which signals the brain ‘it’s time to wake up”.
8) Unplugging from social media
These days online news and posts can be a real downer. Some stuff on social media is so engaging it’s hard to stop.
Either way, it’s harder to fall asleep at night.
Trying unplugging (or at least cutting back) on your news feeds and social media.
9) Getting a checkup
When was the last time you had a checkup? There’s a long list of medical issues that can cause sleep issues.
Even some prescription drugs can affect sleep. You may also be living with an undiagnosed sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.
Likewise, various medical conditions that have been linked to depression.
A doctor can check for underlying health issues for your sleep and mental health.
10) Seeing a mental health specialist
We’ve already talked about the strong links between mood, mental health, and sleep.
A type of counseling known as cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and many other challenges. It’s a collaborative process where the therapist helps you identify and change thoughts and behaviors that affect sleep.
So, cognitive behavioral therapy can be great for both your sleep and mood.
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