Getting less sleep can really make you happier

[WORLD] Hitting snooze may not always be the smart move—especially when your mood is on the line. The damaging effects of sleep deprivation are well-documented, from irritability and memory lapses to increased risks of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But according to new research, there may be a surprising upside to sleeplessness: a potential antidepressant effect.

A recent meta-analysis from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that under controlled conditions, sleep deprivation may significantly alleviate symptoms of depression for certain individuals. After analyzing data from more than 60 studies, the team found that depriving people of sleep—either partially or completely—led to a marked improvement in mood for nearly half of the participants.

To grasp the potential of this unconventional treatment, it helps to understand how sleep influences mental health. Sleep involves several stages, each playing a vital role. Particularly important is the REM (rapid eye movement) phase, linked to emotional processing and memory consolidation. When REM sleep is interrupted, it appears to trigger changes in brain chemistry that may temporarily lift depressive symptoms.

The studies reviewed in the meta-analysis were grouped into two categories: partial sleep deprivation—where subjects slept only three to four hours before staying awake for 20 to 21 hours—and total sleep deprivation, which kept subjects awake for a full 36 hours. Both methods, the researchers found, were equally effective in easing depressive symptoms. Notably, many participants experienced improvements in just 24 hours, according to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

What makes this research especially compelling is the speed of the response. Conventional antidepressants can take weeks to take effect, during which patients often continue to struggle. In contrast, sleep deprivation appears to offer rapid, albeit temporary, relief—pointing to the possibility of faster-acting treatments in the future. However, the fleeting nature of the benefits and the risk of symptoms returning after normal sleep resumes highlight the need for further study.

“These studies in our analysis show that sleep deprivation is effective for many populations,” said lead author Elaine Boland, PhD, in a press release. “Regardless of how the response was quantified, how the sleep deprivation was delivered, or the type of depression the subject was experiencing, we found a nearly equivalent response rate.”

Still, experts urge caution. Chronic sleep deprivation carries serious health risks, and implementing this method as a treatment would require careful clinical oversight. Ensuring patient safety and minimizing side effects remain significant hurdles.

While the findings offer hope for new, faster-acting depression therapies, researchers—like senior author Philip Gehrman, PhD—stress that more research is needed to understand how best to use sleep deprivation therapeutically. And they caution against self-experimentation, especially since other studies have shown that sleep loss can also trigger depression.

So, while skipping sleep might offer temporary relief for some, it's far from a one-size-fits-all solution—and certainly not a recommendation to start trimming your sleep hours at home.