Older people with persistent insomnia symptoms more likely to remain depressed, study finds

Updated:5 years, 6 months ago

New Delhi, May 02 (ANI): Lack of sleep has long been considered a potential risk factor for mood disorders. According to a new study, older people with depression, who also experience persistent and worsening sleep disturbances, are at much higher risk of remaining depressed. The study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published online in the journal Sleep, analysed data from almost 600 people over 60 years old who visited primary care centers in the Northeast US. The researchers found that those with a pattern of worsening insomnia symptoms over the following year had almost 30 times the odds of having a diagnosis of major depression at the end of that year, compared to patients whose sleep had improved during that year. Compared to patients whose sleep improved, the study found that those with insomnia symptoms that persisted but did not worsen also were more likely to have persistent major or minor depression, but their risk was not as high as patients with worsening sleep. The patients whose sleep worsened also had 11.9 times the odds of having a diagnosis of minor depression at the end of the year and were 10 percent more likely to report having suicidal thoughts at the end of the year. The results suggested that older adults who are being treated for depression and whose sleep problems are persistent or worsening need further clinical attention.

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