7 Surprising things that makes your depression even worse

2. How you sleep (or don’t)

It’s no surprise that lack of shut-eye plays a major role in mental health. “Sleep disturbance is a significant depression symptom, and changes in sleep patterns, such as insomnia, can signal, or even trigger, a depressive episode,” says Jean Kim, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University. Insomnia is common in people with depression, she adds, as is early morning awakening.

To help people with depression sleep better, Kim advises some good old fashioned sleep hygiene: keeping bedtime and wake-times consistent and shutting off screens a few hours before bedtime to limit blue light, which can throw off melatonin cycles.