The Mayo Clinic states that "depression is one of the most common health conditions in the world." Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects both emotions and behaviors, and can alter the patient's quality of life. Without proper treatment and supervision, the patient may attempt suicide. The disorder can also affect the patient's sleep, such as the quality of sleep, duration of sleep and his level of alertness when awake.
Insomnia
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that one sleep problem that can arise from depression is insomnia, where the patient has trouble falling asleep at night. Insomnia can result in a low quality of sleep at night, and also prevent the patient from getting enough sleep. Helpguide.org adds that a patient with insomnia from depression also tends to wake up during the early hours of the day, which can also impact the quality and quantity of nightly sleep. The article continues to say that male patients tend to complain more about sleeping problems like insomnia.
Hypersomnia
Another sleep problem associated with depression is hypersomnia, which the NIH defines as sleeping excessively. A patient with hypersomnia will sleep more than the healthy amount each night---10 hours and over. Helpguide.org adds that female depression patients are more likely than male patients to have hypersomnia.
Fatigue
The Mayo Clinic states that the depression patient may also feel tired or weak; these symptoms can appear regardless of whether the patient has insomnia or hypersomnia. The fatigue can prevent the patient from functioning as he normally would. The patient may also have daytime sleepiness, where he has a strong desire to sleep during the day; this can occur even if the patient has hypersomnia. Helpguide.org adds that male patients are more likely to have and be vocal about the fatigue symptoms of depression.
