Research

Mixed

Sleep deprivation has a rapid antidepressant effect, likely by normalizing a deficient Process S (homeostatic sleep pressure).

For individuals with depression, sleep deprivation can induce rapid mood improvement, though this effect is often temporary. This highlights the importance of sleep homeostasis in mood regulation.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
A deficiency of Process S was proposed to account for both depressive sleep disturbances and the antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation.
Alexander A. Borbély et al. · Journal of Sleep Research · 2016

Why this rating

Based on thousands of patient observations and subsequent research.

Source

The two‐process model of sleep regulation: a reappraisal

Alexander A. Borbély et al. · Journal of Sleep Research · 2016

DOI 10.1111/jsr.12371

narrative_reviewCited 1,552×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →