Which came first, depression or insomnia? And why do some people with depression sleep too little and others too much? Research shows sleep and mental health share a complex, two-way relationship, but how do we improve our sleeping habits? And do supplements like melatonin actually help?
The following text is a full transcript of the MNT In Conversation podcast episode titled: “Is sleep the missing piece in mental health?“
Think about the last time you couldn’t sleep well. The next day, you might have felt that everything was harder. Your mood was lower, your patience grew thinner, and your thoughts less clear.
That wasn’t just in your head. Sleep affects how we feel, think, and function, and is more interconnected with our mental health than people assume.
This relationship goes both ways. Studies have linked poor sleep to depression and anxiety, yet for some, sleep problems may be the first sign that mental health is shifting.
In this episode, we break down what happens in the sleep-deprived brain, why emotions feel harder to regulate when we are tired, and why some people with depression sleep too much while others can’t sleep at all. We will also unpack where the sleep quantity matters more than timing, what broken sleep really means and what practical steps can genuinely improve our sleep.
Joining us today to discuss these and more is Dr. Lauren Waterman. Dr. Waterman is a consultant psychiatrist at North London NHS Foundation Trust and she specializes in insomnia.
I’m Yasemin Nicola Sakay, your host and global news editor at Medical News Today.
And I’m Maria Cohut, your co-host and features editor at Medical News Today.
And this is In Conversation.