Study explores sleep therapy for depression

A study led by Vanika Lall, a psychologist at the University of Western Australia, published in October 2026 in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy, found that a short sleep therapy could reduce depression in patients who had been suffering from it for months.

Sleep Well for Mood program details

The study, named Sleep Well for Mood, involved 88 people dealing with depression who also experienced established insomnia. All participants underwent cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) for four weeks. This protocol combined sleep education, bedtime schedule exercises, and work on beliefs related to sleep.

Results after four weeks

Researchers measured mood and sleep before the program, immediately after, and three months later. At the end of the four weeks, participants were sleeping better, and they also ruminated less about daily concerns. Their worries about sleep were reduced, and they spent more time on physical and social activities.

Long-term effects and implications

The benefits remained three months later. Medicine typically classifies sleepless nights as a symptom of depression to be treated after mood improvement and treatment establishment. However, treating insomnia first may act on the very mechanisms of depression, though no definitive guarantees have been established yet.