Emotional Regulation Activities Moderates the Risk of Depression in People With Sleep Disturbance: Evidence From a Community Health Survey

Background and Objective It is widely known that poor sleep quality is closely related to depression, but there are limited studies on the mediating factors.Methods Based on national health survey data, the relationship between sleep quality and depressive symptoms was explored, and structural equations were drawn to determine whether emotional regulation activities, such as regular breakfast, regular exercise, smoking, and drinking contribute to poor sleep quality-induced depression.Results There was a significant correlation between poor sleep quality and depressive symptoms. Regular breakfast tended to mediate between poor sleep quality and depression the most, followed by smoking, drinking, and regular exercise.Conclusions Several emotional regulation activities including regular breakfast, can play a protective role in the process leading to poor sleep quality-induced depression. A follow-up study is required to examine the clinical aspect of how regular breakfast can prevent the process of poor sleep quality to depression.