How Insomnia & Depression Are Linked

The good news is that treating one can improve both

- Lisa Fields

A FEW MONTHS into the pandemic, Héctor González*, 57, visited the Álava Reyes Psychology Centre in Madrid. He had developed insomnia in response to the widespread fear and uncertainty.

According to the centre's director, psychologist María Jesús Álava Reyes, the corporate executive would fall asleep easily at bedtime but awaken two or three hours later with worrisome thoughts that kept him restless. Eventually he'd nod off, then arise for the day two hours early, preoccupied with negative thoughts. Over time, the lack of sleep soured his mood and his ability to function.

"Insomnia produced very high levels of anxiety, which led to frequent frustration, and a weariness that ended up leading to depression," says Álava Reyes about González.

Thomas Müller-Rörich, who lives near Stuggart, Germany, fell into a depression while visiting Sardinia with his family back in 1992, when he was 38. Thomas found himself inexplicably unhappy, irritable and tense. He yelled at his children for playing noisily and picked fights with his wife over nothing.

After returning home, his mood didn't lift; he lost his appetite and couldn't concentrate at the electrical engineering firm that he ran. Two years later, he was formally diagnosed with depression. Shortly thereafter he began experiencing insomnia, awakening at 4 a.m. with anxious feelings that prevented him from falling back asleep, making it even harder for him to be productive.

"The combination of depression and insomnia definitely made things worse," says Müller-Rörich, now 67. "I felt empty and numb, and that everything I had done in life was wrong."