Written by: Zeenat Hatami
Edited by: Tiffany Ang
Depression is a mood disorder impacting thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It’s characterized by a persisting depressive mood, a loss of pleasure in activities, and feelings of worthlessness and emptiness. In the United States, the rates of depression have readily increased over the years and have reached a new high in 2023. 29% of Americans report having been diagnosed with depression (Witters, 2023). Depression is also common among college students, with large numbers of students reporting that they often suffer from feelings of depression and anxiety.
Poor quality of sleep is quite common, especially among students. Sleep deprivation causes both physical and mental fatigue, and can conflict with emotional regulation and processing, leading to heightened anxiety, depression, and irritability. Sleep plays a role in regulating psychophysiological activity and emotional brain networks. In a study conducted by Walker and Van der Helm (2009), in a sleep deprived condition, the amygdala – which plays a major role in processing emotion – expressed a hyperactive response to negative emotional stimuli, compared to the sleep control group. This can raise questions on whether sleep loss and depression are closely related, as it's shown to play a role in our emotional responses.
When young adults go through university, they experience a period of adjustment, experimentation and transformation. College is a new experience, and can challenge students to adapt from their home and high school environment to a new environment. Students' autonomy are academically and socially challenged as they must make new choices for themselves in regards to their future and college life. In doing so, certain aspects of life are neglected, especially sleep, which has been normalized among college students – as many students pull all nighters, or get 7 hours of sleep or less at night – which can relate to poor academic performance, and can be a predictor for the development of depressive symptoms. Dinis and Bragança (2018) did a review in which they reviewed the quality of sleep and depressive symptoms of college students using self reported scales, and in doing so found that poor sleep quality can predict depressive symptoms, outlining the connection between the two.
Ultimately, the culture surrounding sleep deprivation in college is an issue that must be addressed, as well as the rising numbers of students who are suffering from depression. Although students have academic and social obligations, mental and physical health should be prioritized, and it's also the responsibility of universities themselves to address these problems and actively work towards helping students who suffer the effects of sleep deprivation, as well as provide resources for students who are struggling with depressive thoughts. Overall, this also brings attention to the fact that the rates for depression in adolescents is increasing in the United States, raising questions on how we as a society will be able to combat this mental health crisis.
References:
Dinis, J., & Bragança, M. (2018). Quality of Sleep and Depression in College Students: A Systematic Review. Sleep Science, 11(4), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.5935/1984-0063.20180045
Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological Bulletin, 135(5), 731–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016570
Witters, Dan. “U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 14 Sept. 2023, news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-new-highs.aspx.
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