Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Antidepressants and their effect on sleep.

Andrew G Mayers1, David S Baldwin

  • 1Perinatal Mental Health, University of Southampton, UK. a.g.mayers@soton.ac.uk

Human Psychopharmacology
|October 18, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Antidepressants significantly impact sleep, with effects varying by drug class, dosage, and mechanism. This review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) details how different antidepressants influence insomnia, sedation, and REM sleep.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

On the neglect of separation anxiety disorder in adults.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026
Same author

<i>Antidepressants</i> by Suede: songs of fear, unease and worry - Psychiatry in music.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026
Same author

Our age of anxiety: fear, unease and worry.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026
Same author

Risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and suicide attempt in people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of 165 studies.

World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)·2026
Same author

Perceived treatment assignment influences the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on anxiety during an internet-based psychosocial stressor.

Psychiatry research·2026
Same author

Effects of opioid antagonism on functional MRI correlates of explicit and implicit threat processing in healthy volunteers.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are closely linked to depression.
  • Antidepressants are commonly prescribed, necessitating an understanding of their impact on sleep.
  • Evidence suggests antidepressant effects on sleep vary based on drug class and dosage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of antidepressants on sleep.
  • To analyze how different classes of antidepressants influence sleep parameters like insomnia, sedation, and REM sleep.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Analysis of studies including both depressed and non-depressed populations to understand antidepressant effects on sleep.
  • Categorization of effects based on antidepressant class (e.g., MAOIs, TCAs, SSRIs) and specific compounds.

Main Results:

  • Insomnia is frequently associated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (excluding amitriptyline), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like venlafaxine and moclobemide.
  • Sedation is reported with most TCAs (except desipramine), mirtazapine, nefazodone, maprotiline, trazodone, mianserin, and MAOIs.
  • REM sleep suppression is observed with TCAs (especially clomipramine), MAOIs, SSRIs, venlafaxine, trazodone, and bupropion.

Conclusions:

  • Antidepressant-induced sleep alterations are diverse and depend on the specific drug and its mechanism of action.
  • Variations exist within antidepressant classes regarding sedative/alerting effects, baseline sleep parameter changes, REM sleep impact, and overall sleep-related side effects.

Related Experiment Videos