Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptoms of Major DepressionDepression and SleepCopingHow Depression at Night Is Treated
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms of Major Depression
Depression and Sleep
Coping
How Depression at Night Is Treated
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Feeling sad at night can be a symptom of major depression. You might also feel depressed at night because you are dwelling on past events, or because of something simple like too much nighttime light exposure or a disruption in your sleep-wake cycle.
As one of the most common mood disorders, major depression can develop in anyone, at any age, at any time. Feelings of sadness or depression that occur at night can lead to insomnia,anxiety, and feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
Learn more about why you may feel sad or depressed at night, and what you can do to feel better.
1:487 Facts You Should Know About Nighttime Depression
1:48
7 Facts You Should Know About Nighttime Depression
Causes of Feeling Depressed at Night
There are several factors that can cause your mood to change at night. Some of them you may be able to adjust, while others are more challenging to manage.
Verywell / JR Bee
Rumination
People with depression oftenruminate, or repeatedly mull over past events and issues that concern them. You may spend hours trying to make sense of past events or imagine them having a different outcome. Since depression makes you likely to focus on negative events, rumination can fuel feelings of depression and anxiety. It’s usually a major cause of nighttime depression symptoms.
Not surprisingly, you tend to be more prone to rumination when you’re alone and free from distractions, which for many of us tends to be at night.
Fatigue at the end of the day can also make us more prone to feeling down. This is why sometimes, things seem worse at night.
Though rumination is normal, it can be extremely unhealthy, particularly if it’s causing or worsening depression or anxiety.
It may be helpful to take note of the specific things you’re ruminating about before you go to bed. For instance, some people get sad or depressed the night before work because their workplace is a negative environment or they don’t get any satisfaction from their job. Dreading waking up in the morning because you know you have to work can take a mental and emotional toll.
How to Process Feelings Without Ruminating
Nighttime Light Exposure
There have been numerous studies on the link between exposure to light at night and depression. One study published in theAmerican Journal of Epidemiologyshowed a correlation between low-level bedroom light exposure during sleep and developingdepression symptoms in older adults, though light exposure was more than likely not the only cause.
The risk could be even higher for younger people, since their eyes are more sensitive. It’s still unclear how exactly light and depression are related, but it’s possible that being exposed to even a tiny amount of light during the night interferes with your sleep cycles, which in turn interferes with your mood.
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Multiple studies have shown that when your circadian rhythm, or internal sleep clock, is disrupted, your risk of developing depression or worsening symptoms is higher.Circadian rhythm disruption can occur as a result ofjet lag, working the night shift, and increased light exposure at night, among other factors.
In general, it’s best to be awake and active during the day and make sure you get the best quality of sleep you can at night.
Some people also experience feelings of sadness that are stronger in the morning. This is calleddiurnal mood variation.
Chronotype
Do you consider yourself an early bird, a night owl, or somewhere in between? How long and when you sleep at night is called a chronotype. One study on the link between chronotype and depression looked at 32,470 females who were, on average, 55 years old and did not experience depression. They each categorized their chronotype: early, intermediate, or late.
Of these women, 2,581 ended up with diagnosed depression across a follow-up period of four years. The women who identified as early birds had a 12% lower risk of developing depression than the intermediate women, while the night owls had a 6% higher risk.The results showed that the more strongly a woman identified as being a night owl, the higher her likelihood of developing depression.
This study doesn’t show that being a night owl causes depression. But the fact that there are multiple studies indicating a link between chronotypes and depression means that more research is warranted, especially regarding genetic and environmental influences.
Loneliness
Feelings of loneliness can cause sadness at night. You may feel more lonely at night if you lack social companionship outside of work or school. Spending evenings alone can cause worsening feelings of loneliness.
Loneliness is a risk factor for major depression.People with depression may self-isolate, which can increase feelings of loneliness. It is even possible to feel lonely when you are with friends and family.
Major depression causessevere symptomsthat interfere with your mood and daily activities. Nighttime feelings of sadness aren’t always associated with major depression, but they can be.
Major depression usually involves other symptoms besides just feeling sad at night. If you’ve experienced some or all of these symptoms for the majority of the day, almost every day, for the past two weeks or more, and they aren’t getting better, you should see a healthcare provider.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Insomnia is a risk factor for depression.People who have difficulty sleeping are more likely to have depression, and people who have both depression and insomnia are more likely to have severe depression that is more difficult to treat.
Trouble sleeping can affect your mood and cause increased feelings of sadness even when you are not depressed.When you feel sad at night, that can even lead to worsening insomnia.
Coping With Nighttime Sadness
These strategies may help you break the cycle of nightly negative thoughts and curb nighttime depression symptoms.
Create Positive Thoughts
Problem-Solve Negative Events
People who ruminate tend to not only replay events but also engage in thoughts such as, “Why does this always happen to me?” and “What’s wrong with me that I can’t cope?” These types of thoughts lead to feelings of helplessness.
Instead of letting your mind go to those places, wait until you’re thinking clearly and identify at least one step you can take to overcome your problems. This can even be something as simple as calling a friend to try and brainstorm a solution. This mental interruption and proactive action can help you regain power over the situation and feel less helpless.
Build Self-Esteem
Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Set yourself up for sleep success as much as you can.
They will advise you on next steps and come up with a treatment plan, which will likely involve therapy and lifestyle changes. If you have a diagnosis of depression, a doctor may also prescribe medication to help.
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Therapy
A popular therapy method for treating depression iscognitive behavioral therapy(CBT). With CBT, a therapist helps you address things like rumination and negative thoughts with self-help strategies. Rumination-focused CBT is specifically geared toward helping patients with rumination, though studies are still being done on its effectiveness.
A therapist can also help you make positive changes to address some of the things in your life that are contributing to your sadness.
For instance, if each night you’re dreading the next day at work, you could set a goal to research other jobs you might like better. Sometimes taking small steps to solve the big problems that are weighing you down can improve the sadness that you feel at night.
Medication
Lifestyle Changes
There are some changes you can make to your everyday routine to help decrease the sadness you feel at night and even improve your sleep quality. For instance, regularphysical exercisecan boost feelings of well-being, reduce stress, and lead to better sleep.
Eating a well-balanced dietcan also help improve depressive symptoms, combined with other lifestyle choices like exercising and following a sleep schedule.
15 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kalmbach DA, Pillai V, Drake CL.Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192088. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192088Obayashi K, Saeki K, Kurumatani N.Bedroom light exposure at night and the incidence of depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of the HEIJO-KYO Cohort.Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(3):427-434. doi:10.1093/aje/kwx290Walker WH 2nd, Walton JC, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ.Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.Transl Psychiatry. 2020;10(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0Vetter C, Chang SC, Devore EE, Rohrer F, Okereke OI, Schernhammer ES.Prospective study of chronotype and incident depression among middle- and older-aged women in the Nurses' Health Study II.J Psychiatr Res. 2018;103:156-160. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.05.022van Winkel M, Wichers M, Collip D, et al.Unraveling the role of loneliness in depression: The relationship between daily life experience and behavior.Psychiatry. 2017;80(2):104-117. doi:10.1080/00332747.2016.1256143Fang H, Tu S, Sheng J, Shao A.Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms and treatment.J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(4):2324-2332. doi:10.1111/jcmm.14170Rose AL, Hopko DR, Lejuez CW, Magidson JF.Major depressive disorder.Funct Anal Clin Ther. 2020:339. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-805469-7.00015-2Salvo L, Ramírez J, Castro A.Risk factors for suicide attempts in people with depressive disorders treated in secondary health care.Rev Med Chil. 2019;147(2):181-189. doi:10.4067/s0034-98872019000200181Watling J, Pawlik B, Scott K, Booth S, Short MA.Sleep loss and affective functioning: More than just mood.Behav Sleep Med. 2017;15(5):394-409. doi:10.1080/15402002.2016.1141770Everly G, Lating J.A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response, Third Ed. Springer Publishing.Bedrosian TA, Nelson RJ.Timing of light exposure affects mood and brain circuits.Transl Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):e1017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.262Hvenegaard M, Watkins ER, Poulsen S, et al.Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled superiority trial.Trials. 2015;16:344. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0875-yHarmer CJ, Duman RS, Cowen PJ.How do antidepressants work? New perspectives for refining future treatment approaches.Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(5):409-418. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30015-9Dolezal BA, Neufeld EV, Boland DM, Martin JL, Cooper CB.Interrelationship between sleep and exercise: A systematic review[published correction appears inAdv Prev Med. 2017;2017:5979510].Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:1364387. doi:10.1155/2017/1364387Huang Q, Liu H, Suzuki K, Ma S, Liu C.Linking what we eat to our mood: A review of diet, dietary antioxidants, and depression.Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(9):376. doi:10.3390/antiox8090376Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.Nolen-Hoeksema S, Wisco BE, Lyubomirsky S.Rethinking rumination.Perspect Psychol Sci.2008;3(5):400-24. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.xTakano K, Tanno Y.Diurnal variation in rumination.Emotion. 2011;11(5):1046-58. doi:10.1037/a0022757
15 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kalmbach DA, Pillai V, Drake CL.Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192088. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192088Obayashi K, Saeki K, Kurumatani N.Bedroom light exposure at night and the incidence of depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of the HEIJO-KYO Cohort.Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(3):427-434. doi:10.1093/aje/kwx290Walker WH 2nd, Walton JC, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ.Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.Transl Psychiatry. 2020;10(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0Vetter C, Chang SC, Devore EE, Rohrer F, Okereke OI, Schernhammer ES.Prospective study of chronotype and incident depression among middle- and older-aged women in the Nurses' Health Study II.J Psychiatr Res. 2018;103:156-160. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.05.022van Winkel M, Wichers M, Collip D, et al.Unraveling the role of loneliness in depression: The relationship between daily life experience and behavior.Psychiatry. 2017;80(2):104-117. doi:10.1080/00332747.2016.1256143Fang H, Tu S, Sheng J, Shao A.Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms and treatment.J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(4):2324-2332. doi:10.1111/jcmm.14170Rose AL, Hopko DR, Lejuez CW, Magidson JF.Major depressive disorder.Funct Anal Clin Ther. 2020:339. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-805469-7.00015-2Salvo L, Ramírez J, Castro A.Risk factors for suicide attempts in people with depressive disorders treated in secondary health care.Rev Med Chil. 2019;147(2):181-189. doi:10.4067/s0034-98872019000200181Watling J, Pawlik B, Scott K, Booth S, Short MA.Sleep loss and affective functioning: More than just mood.Behav Sleep Med. 2017;15(5):394-409. doi:10.1080/15402002.2016.1141770Everly G, Lating J.A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response, Third Ed. Springer Publishing.Bedrosian TA, Nelson RJ.Timing of light exposure affects mood and brain circuits.Transl Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):e1017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.262Hvenegaard M, Watkins ER, Poulsen S, et al.Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled superiority trial.Trials. 2015;16:344. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0875-yHarmer CJ, Duman RS, Cowen PJ.How do antidepressants work? New perspectives for refining future treatment approaches.Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(5):409-418. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30015-9Dolezal BA, Neufeld EV, Boland DM, Martin JL, Cooper CB.Interrelationship between sleep and exercise: A systematic review[published correction appears inAdv Prev Med. 2017;2017:5979510].Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:1364387. doi:10.1155/2017/1364387Huang Q, Liu H, Suzuki K, Ma S, Liu C.Linking what we eat to our mood: A review of diet, dietary antioxidants, and depression.Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(9):376. doi:10.3390/antiox8090376Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.Nolen-Hoeksema S, Wisco BE, Lyubomirsky S.Rethinking rumination.Perspect Psychol Sci.2008;3(5):400-24. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.xTakano K, Tanno Y.Diurnal variation in rumination.Emotion. 2011;11(5):1046-58. doi:10.1037/a0022757
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kalmbach DA, Pillai V, Drake CL.Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192088. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192088Obayashi K, Saeki K, Kurumatani N.Bedroom light exposure at night and the incidence of depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of the HEIJO-KYO Cohort.Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(3):427-434. doi:10.1093/aje/kwx290Walker WH 2nd, Walton JC, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ.Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.Transl Psychiatry. 2020;10(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0Vetter C, Chang SC, Devore EE, Rohrer F, Okereke OI, Schernhammer ES.Prospective study of chronotype and incident depression among middle- and older-aged women in the Nurses' Health Study II.J Psychiatr Res. 2018;103:156-160. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.05.022van Winkel M, Wichers M, Collip D, et al.Unraveling the role of loneliness in depression: The relationship between daily life experience and behavior.Psychiatry. 2017;80(2):104-117. doi:10.1080/00332747.2016.1256143Fang H, Tu S, Sheng J, Shao A.Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms and treatment.J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(4):2324-2332. doi:10.1111/jcmm.14170Rose AL, Hopko DR, Lejuez CW, Magidson JF.Major depressive disorder.Funct Anal Clin Ther. 2020:339. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-805469-7.00015-2Salvo L, Ramírez J, Castro A.Risk factors for suicide attempts in people with depressive disorders treated in secondary health care.Rev Med Chil. 2019;147(2):181-189. doi:10.4067/s0034-98872019000200181Watling J, Pawlik B, Scott K, Booth S, Short MA.Sleep loss and affective functioning: More than just mood.Behav Sleep Med. 2017;15(5):394-409. doi:10.1080/15402002.2016.1141770Everly G, Lating J.A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response, Third Ed. Springer Publishing.Bedrosian TA, Nelson RJ.Timing of light exposure affects mood and brain circuits.Transl Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):e1017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.262Hvenegaard M, Watkins ER, Poulsen S, et al.Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled superiority trial.Trials. 2015;16:344. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0875-yHarmer CJ, Duman RS, Cowen PJ.How do antidepressants work? New perspectives for refining future treatment approaches.Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(5):409-418. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30015-9Dolezal BA, Neufeld EV, Boland DM, Martin JL, Cooper CB.Interrelationship between sleep and exercise: A systematic review[published correction appears inAdv Prev Med. 2017;2017:5979510].Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:1364387. doi:10.1155/2017/1364387Huang Q, Liu H, Suzuki K, Ma S, Liu C.Linking what we eat to our mood: A review of diet, dietary antioxidants, and depression.Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(9):376. doi:10.3390/antiox8090376
Kalmbach DA, Pillai V, Drake CL.Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192088. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192088
Obayashi K, Saeki K, Kurumatani N.Bedroom light exposure at night and the incidence of depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of the HEIJO-KYO Cohort.Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(3):427-434. doi:10.1093/aje/kwx290
Walker WH 2nd, Walton JC, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ.Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.Transl Psychiatry. 2020;10(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0
Vetter C, Chang SC, Devore EE, Rohrer F, Okereke OI, Schernhammer ES.Prospective study of chronotype and incident depression among middle- and older-aged women in the Nurses' Health Study II.J Psychiatr Res. 2018;103:156-160. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.05.022
van Winkel M, Wichers M, Collip D, et al.Unraveling the role of loneliness in depression: The relationship between daily life experience and behavior.Psychiatry. 2017;80(2):104-117. doi:10.1080/00332747.2016.1256143
Fang H, Tu S, Sheng J, Shao A.Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms and treatment.J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(4):2324-2332. doi:10.1111/jcmm.14170
Rose AL, Hopko DR, Lejuez CW, Magidson JF.Major depressive disorder.Funct Anal Clin Ther. 2020:339. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-805469-7.00015-2
Salvo L, Ramírez J, Castro A.Risk factors for suicide attempts in people with depressive disorders treated in secondary health care.Rev Med Chil. 2019;147(2):181-189. doi:10.4067/s0034-98872019000200181
Watling J, Pawlik B, Scott K, Booth S, Short MA.Sleep loss and affective functioning: More than just mood.Behav Sleep Med. 2017;15(5):394-409. doi:10.1080/15402002.2016.1141770
Everly G, Lating J.A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response, Third Ed. Springer Publishing.
Bedrosian TA, Nelson RJ.Timing of light exposure affects mood and brain circuits.Transl Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):e1017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.262
Hvenegaard M, Watkins ER, Poulsen S, et al.Rumination-focused cognitive behaviour therapy vs. cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled superiority trial.Trials. 2015;16:344. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0875-y
Harmer CJ, Duman RS, Cowen PJ.How do antidepressants work? New perspectives for refining future treatment approaches.Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(5):409-418. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30015-9
Dolezal BA, Neufeld EV, Boland DM, Martin JL, Cooper CB.Interrelationship between sleep and exercise: A systematic review[published correction appears inAdv Prev Med. 2017;2017:5979510].Adv Prev Med. 2017;2017:1364387. doi:10.1155/2017/1364387
Huang Q, Liu H, Suzuki K, Ma S, Liu C.Linking what we eat to our mood: A review of diet, dietary antioxidants, and depression.Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(9):376. doi:10.3390/antiox8090376
National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.Nolen-Hoeksema S, Wisco BE, Lyubomirsky S.Rethinking rumination.Perspect Psychol Sci.2008;3(5):400-24. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.xTakano K, Tanno Y.Diurnal variation in rumination.Emotion. 2011;11(5):1046-58. doi:10.1037/a0022757
National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.
Nolen-Hoeksema S, Wisco BE, Lyubomirsky S.Rethinking rumination.Perspect Psychol Sci.2008;3(5):400-24. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.x
Takano K, Tanno Y.Diurnal variation in rumination.Emotion. 2011;11(5):1046-58. doi:10.1037/a0022757
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