The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Meta-Analysis of the Antidepressant Effects of Acute Sleep Deprivation
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To provide a quantitative meta-analysis of the antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation to complement qualitative reviews addressing response rates. DATA SOURCES: English-language studies from 1974 to 2016 using the keywords sleep deprivation and depression searched through PubMed and PsycINFO databases. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 66 independent studies met criteria for inclusion: conducted experimental sleep deprivation, reported the percentage of the sample that responded to sleep deprivation, provided a priori definition of antidepressant response, and did not seamlessly combine sleep deprivation with other therapies (eg, chronotherapeutics, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation). DATA EXTRACTION: Data extracted included percentage of responders, type of sample (eg, bipolar, unipolar), type of sleep deprivation (eg, total, partial), demographics, medication use, type of outcome measure used, and definition of response (eg, 30% reduction in depression ratings). Data were analyzed with meta-analysis of proportions and a Poisson mixed-effects regression model. RESULTS: The overall response rate to sleep deprivation was 45% among studies that utilized a randomized control group and 50% among studies that did not. The response to sleep deprivation was not affected significantly by the type of sleep deprivation performed, the nature of the clinical sample, medication status, the definition of response used, or age and gender of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support a significant effect of sleep deprivation and suggest the need for future studies on the phenotypic nature of the antidepressant response to sleep deprivation, on the neurobiological mechanisms of action, and on moderators of the sleep deprivation treatment response in depression.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Recent meta‐analysis found that sleep deprivation is effective for the acute treatment of bipolar depression (Boland et al., 2017).”
From Adjunctive bright light therapy for treating bipolar depression: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (2020) · cites this paper as Boland et al., 2017
In the citing paper
“Meta-analyses on TSD have shown divergent conclusions on its efficacy, primarily explained by differences in inclusion criteria (10–12, 45–47).”
From Total Sleep Deprivation Followed by Bright Light Therapy as Rapid Relief for Depression: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (2021) · cites this paper as [45]
In the citing paper
“Moreover, recent studies on combined chronotherapy have reported lower response rates (20, 39, 44, 58) than the presumed average of 50% (45) with the exception of two cohort studies (22, 62).”
From Total Sleep Deprivation Followed by Bright Light Therapy as Rapid Relief for Depression: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (2021) · cites this paper as [45]
Citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–132 of 132
李, 星. (2020) · Traditional Chinese Medicine · doi:10.12677/tcm.2020.92031 · Cited by 1
Bouthillier, J. L., Ivers, H., & Morin, C. M. (2025) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.70043 · Cited by 1
Eicher, C., Vázquez, C. G., Schmid, C., Kronenberg, G., Landolt, H., Seifritz, E., Poian, G. D., & Huber, R. (2025) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106830 · Cited by 1
Chronobiology and Chronotherapy in Depression: Current Knowledge and Chronotherapeutic Promises
Rojas, M., Chávez-Castillo, M., Pírela, D., Ortega, Á., Salazar, J. J., Cano, C., Chacín, M., Riaño-Garzón, M., Batista, M. J., Díaz-Camargo, E. A., et al. (2020) · Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews · doi:10.2174/2666082216999201124152432 · Cited by 1
Neubauer, D. N. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-16-0123-1_17 · Cited by 2
Pérez‐Sales, P. (2019) · Torture Journal · doi:10.7146/torture.v29i2.116321 · Cited by 1
“Subsequent studies have shown that the effect is deleterious and of no clinical use (Boland et al., 2017).”
BackgroundMeta-analysis of the effects of sleep deprivation on depression in patients and animalsPreprint
Hu, B., Ye, M., Feng, D., Ying, J., Mou, T., Luo, F., Lv, T., Jiang, L., Qian, C., Ding, Z., et al. (2020) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2020.03.02.971689 · Cited by 2
“insomnia and anxiety lead patients to try different medications or refuse medication altogether 51 [7, 8].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialKurczewska, E., Chłopocka-Woźniak, M., & RYBAKOWSKI, J. K. (2019) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.01.083
Voldsbekk, I. (2018) · NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives
Development of new rapid-action treatments in mood disorders
Brietzke, E. M., Mansur, R. B., Gomes, F. A., & McIntyre, R. S. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821033-8.00007-1
Rapid-Acting AntidepressantsPreprint
Kadriu, B., Subramanian, S., Deng, Z., et al. (2018) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/xwk57
Overview of the impact of psychiatric disorders on sleep
Neubauer, D. N. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-822963-7.00084-0
Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disorders
Bisdounis, L., Kyle, S. D., Saunders, K., Hill, E. A., & Espie, C. A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780197542521.003.0023 · Cited by 1
Therapie psychischer Erkrankungen
Lieb, K., Hiemke, C., Müller‐Dahlhaus, F., Jacob, G. A., Frauenknecht, S., & Brückner, A. (2023) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-3-437-23492-7.00003-3
Metabolomics in sleep disorders
Jha, P. K., & Bouâouda, H. (2024) · Comprehensive analytical chemistry · doi:10.1016/bs.coac.2023.09.013
Subclinically Depressed Individuals Showed Less Trust after a Night of Sleep Deprivation
Li, C., Lam, Y. C., Hsiao, J. H., Yee, L. T. S., Zhang, J., & Lau, E. Y. Y. (2025) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1017/sjp.2025.11
“Interestingly, sleep deprivation can enhance the mood among depressed participants and affect the course of depression (see reviews in Boland et al., 2017).”
Neudorf, J., Rokos, L., Shen, K., Kent, B. A., & McIntosh, A. R. (2026) · Imaging Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/imag.a.1278 · Cited by 1
“…negatively when sleep is missed (acute sleep restriction, where sleep is limited, and acute sleep deprivation, where no sleep is attained; e.g., Boland et al., 2017; Krieg et al., 2001; Kronholm, 2012; Pilcher & Huffcutt, 1996; Regestein et al., 2004; Scullin & Bliwise, 2015; Sternberg et…”
The Relationship between Mental and Sleep Disorders: A Literature Review
Sakalauskaitë-Juodeikienë, E., & Jaraminas, A. (2025) · Neurologijos seminarai · doi:10.15388/ns.2024.28.102.8
“Įdomu pažymėti, kad visiška vienos nakties miego restrikcija taip pat turi trumpą depresijos simptomų pagerėjimo poveikį 50– 60 proc. ligonių [21].”
SLEEP AND MENTAL HEALTH: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION
Strzelecka, A. A., Basak, A. E., Khiralla-Gawlik, S., Kwiatkowska, A., Teper, K., Świercz, P., Mączka, E., Strużek, K., & Tracz, W. (2025) · International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science · doi:10.31435/ijitss.3(47).2025.3670
Is a new one a well forgotten old? Sleep deprivation as a method of therapy for depression. Part I
Antsyborov, A. V., Dubatova, I. V., & Kalinchuk, A. V. (2021) · Neurology Bulletin · doi:10.17816/nb49755
Liu, Y., Zhu, L.-Y., Xiao, Q., Zeng, H.-M., Zhan, Y.-X., Yang, R., Lin, F.-C., Liu, D.-L., Zeng, X.-X., & Chen, B.-F. (2026) · World Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114301
Depression symptoms are associated with affective neural processing during sleep and restPreprint
Lin, X., Lew, N., Cho, M., Paller, K. A., & Schechtman, E. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.03.03.709353
Dallaspezia, S., Attanasio, F., Maruca, S., Benedetti, F., & Colombo, C. (2026) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117115
Chronotherapy in the Treatment of Major Depression
Kang, S., & Kim, Y. (2026) · Advances in experimental medicine and biology · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-6872-7_24 · Cited by 1
Depression Associated with Other Medical Conditions
Sunzeri, F., & Sunzeri, E. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-14465-2_12
Antidepressant Responsiveness to Sleep Deprivation Is Not a Fixed Phenotypic Trait
Pollock, M. S., & Dongen, H. P. A. V. (2026) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.70359
Sochal, M., Wojtera, A., Ditmer, M., Gabryelska, A., Tarasiuk, A., Turkiewicz, S., Karuga, F. F., Fichna, J., & Białasiewicz, P. (2026) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms27125209
“Meta-analytic evidence indicates that approximately 50–80% of patients with depression exhibit an initial positive response to DS [5].”
Hejazi, N. S., Kheirkhah, M., Riedner, B. A., Yuan, Q., Chholak, P., Momenan, R., Jones, G. H., Goldman, D., & Zarate, C. A. (2026) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-026-02465-4 · Cited by 1
“Collectively, these fi ndings underscore a mechanistic role for sleep regulation in both the pathophysiology and treatment of TRD.”
Lins, L. C. R. F., Mesquita, J. V. M., Araújo, B. S. S., Silva, G. L., Mari, J. D. J., Santos, H. F., Etemadi, L., & Heuer, A. (2026) · Next research. · doi:10.1016/j.nexres.2026.102491
Tiredness and the Capacity to Decide: The Example of Maternity Care
Brunning, L. (2026) · Bioethics · doi:10.1111/bioe.70199
Li, X., Wang, X., Gao, L., Wang, J., Yu, H., Du, T., Hu, T., & Sun, Q. (2026) · Molecular Neurobiology · doi:10.1007/s12035-026-06249-1
“This paradoxical phenomenon—that sleep deprivation can temporarily alleviate depressive symptoms in a subset of patients—has been documented across multiple studies [27].”
Metadata
- Authors
- Boland, E. M., Rao, H., Dinges, D. F., Smith, R. V., Goel, N., Detre, J. A., Basner, M., Sheline, Y. I., Thase, M. E., & Gehrman, P. R.
- Affiliations
- Philadelphia VA Medical Center (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc
- Published
- 2017-10-25
- Volume
- 78
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- e1020-e1034
- ISSN
- 0160-6689 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2754688243
- Cited by
- 132
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 9
- FWCI
- 1.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Keywords
- sleep deprivation, antidepressant effects, depression, major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, total sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, treatment moderators
- MeSH terms
- Antidepressive Agents, Depression, Humans, Phototherapy, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Techniques, Sleep Deprivation, Treatment Outcome, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
