Does insomnia treatment prevent depression?
Open accessAbstract
Rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) are increasing globally, in part due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, contributing to disease burden. It has long been known that insomnia is intricately connected with depression as indicated by greater depression severity and lower treatment response. Furthermore, insomnia is a significant risk factor for new-onset depression. Treatment of insomnia is thus a logical target for prevention of incidents and recurrent MDD. This systematic review sought to evaluate the current evidence for the preventive effects of insomnia treatment on depression onset. A database search yielded 186 studies, six of which met criteria for inclusion in this review. All of the studies utilized cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I) as the target intervention and most delivered treatment via a digital platform. Four of the studies found significantly lower rates of MDD onset in those who received CBT-I compared to a control condition. The two remaining studies failed to confirm these effects in primary analyses but secondary analyses suggested evidence of a preventive effect. There was significant methodologic heterogeneity across studies in terms of sample selection, outcomes, and follow-up periods, limiting the ability to draw firm conclusions. The evidence overall is in the direction of insomnia treatment reducing the risk for onset of MDD, but further research is warranted.
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Treating symptoms of insomnia also improves symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
“To illustrate, treating symptoms of insomnia also improved symptoms of depression (93), anxiety, and stress (94–99).”
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Advances in the research of comorbid insomnia and depression: mechanisms, impacts, and interventions
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“To illustrate, treating symptoms of insomnia also improved symptoms of depression (93), anxiety, and stress (94–99).”
Background
- Authors
- Boland, E. M., Goldschmied, J. R., & Gehrman, P. R.
- Affiliations
- Philadelphia VA Medical Center (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Corresponding author
- Boland, Elaine M
- Venue
- SLEEP
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2023-04-08
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 6
- ISSN
- 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-9109
- PMC
- PMC10262035
- OpenAlex
- W4362717092
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 8
- FWCI
- 2.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- SLEEP (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Clinical Science Research and Development (IK2-CX001501-06)
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH130642, K23MH118580-04)
- National Institutes of Health
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- insomnia, major depressive disorder, depression prevention, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, digital mental health interventions, depression onset
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Treatment Outcome
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