Altered REM sleep patterns, specifically earlier emergence of REM sleep, are a consistent finding in depression.

“if you look at some anti-depressants many of them will either delay the onset of REM sleep or they will reduce it significantly now there's a huge debate about the efficacy and the utility of anti-depressants and I I don't have a horse in that race and I don't know know enough about that literature to comment I would simply say though that it's at least intriguing to me that some medications that are commonly prescribed as anti-depressants will alter specifically rem's sleep and push it later or try to reduce it down”

“one of the earliest findings in depression and sleep and has been quite well replicated is a change in REM sleep but now it wasn't necessarily that individuals who had depression slept or had excessive amounts of REM sleep they had a little bit more what was interesting is that when that REM sleep emerged during the night was much earlier”