Trouble Sleeping and Depression Among US Women Aged 20 to 30 Years

Depression in women is common, and 1 woman in 4 is likely to have an episode of major depression at some point in her life. Sleep disturbances, which are significantly associated with depression, are increasingly recognized as a determinant of women's health and well-being. Although studies have examined the association between depression and sleep disorders, little research has explored this association among young women. Our study investigated the relationship between sleep problems and depression among women aged 20 to 30.

We used data on 1,747 women from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2016. In addition to univariate and bivariate analysis, we used unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models to estimate depression in the previous 2 weeks among women who reported ever having trouble sleeping.

Of 1,747 study participants, 19.6% reported trouble sleeping and 9.3% reported symptoms of depression. Weighted logistic regression results showed that women who had trouble sleeping were more than 4 times (odds ratio, 4.36; 95% confidence interval, 3.06-6.21; P < .001) more likely than women who did not have trouble sleeping to have had depression in the previous 2 weeks. The results were similar (adjusted odds ratio, 4.11; 95% confidence interval, 2.78-6.06; P < .001) after adjusting for other covariates.

We found a significant relationship between trouble sleeping and depression among US women aged 20 to 30. Findings suggest the need for regular screening and treatment of sleep disturbances among young women, which may improve their psychological health and reduce depression.