Does Depression Make You Sleep More

Be Alert For Relapses

About 85 percent of people who suffer a bout of major depression will have a relapse within a decadeand half will have a recurrence within a year, according to a study published in International Journal of Neuropharmacology. The researchers recommended a maintenance dose of antidepressants and/or therapy to prevent a relapse. Both spouses should also stay alert for signs that the illness is returning, Walfish adds.

Caring for a depressed spouse can be lonely, overwhelming, and emotionally draining, she says. You may blame yourself, feel helpless, grow pessimistic, lose your sense of humor, and even consider leaving. Its easy for the non-depressed spouse to become angry and frustrated with an irritable, lethargic mate whos pessimistic and critical, who cant unload the dishwasher, or who cant get the kids ready for bed anymorelet alone make love, ask how youre doing, or acknowledge that youve been holding things together for weeks, months, or years.

This starts a cycle that burns you out and doesnt help your partner at all, Scott-Lowe notes. I did this with DennisI would become extremely angry with him. Then I would feel really guilty and try to make up for it by taking on more and more around the house. Then I would get angry all over again. This wasnt helping Dennis, of course, and it was wearing me out emotionally and physically.

Treatment Of Sleep Deprivation

Good sleep hygiene is the antidote to sleep deprivation. People accumulate sleep debt when they lose a specified amount of sleep each night, and the only way to repay that debt is to get more sleep.

Try these strategies to improve your sleep hygiene:

• Set a specific schedule for sleep and wake times, including weekends and vacations
• Go to bed when tired
• Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed
• Engage in daily exercise
• If unable to sleep after twenty minutes, go to another room to read until sleepy
• Avoid using any electronics in the bedroom
• Turn off electronics one hour before bed
• Keep the bedroom quiet, dark, and cool

What Other Techniques Can Help Me Sleep

In addition to trying medications, here are some tips to improve sleep:

• Learn relaxation or mindfulness-based meditation and deep-breathing techniques.
• Clear your head of concerns by writing a list of activities that need to be completed the next day and tell yourself you will think about it tomorrow.
• Get regular exercise, no later than a few hours before bedtime.
• Don’t use caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine in the evening.
• Don’t lie in bed tossing and turning. Get out of bed and do something in another room when you can’t sleep. Go back to bed when you are feeling drowsy.
• Use the bed only for sleeping and sexual activity. Don’t lie in bed to watch TV or read. This way, your bed becomes a cue for sleeping, not for lying awake.

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Which Types Of Antidepressants Can Help With Sleep

Your doctor may prescribe one of the following antidepressants that can also help you sleep:

• An SSRI such as citalopram , escitalopram , fluoxetine , paroxetine , and sertraline can be effective for treating depression but may take several weeks or longer to become effective. At the beginning, they may also cause or worsen insomnia, for which your doctor may prescribe a separate sleeping medication on a short-term basis. Other antidepressant medicines that affect serotonin through multiple serotonin receptors include vilazodone and vortioxetine .
• SNRIs such as desvenlafaxine , desvenlafaxine succinate , duloxetine , levomilnacipran , or venlafaxine
• Sedating antidepressants such as mirtazapine . The antidepressant trazodone is not widely used to treat depression but because it can cause drowsiness it is often paired as a sleep aid.

Which One Is It

Mild emotional symptoms and difficulty concentrating when you know you are dealing with sleep debt can likely be attributed to sleep deprivation. While sleep debt can be dangerous , it can be remedied with proper sleep hygiene and stress reduction techniques.

Major depressive disorder, on the other hand, can significantly impair functioning and requires further treatment than proper sleep and stress reduction. A depressed mood that lasts two weeks or longer is a red flag to seek help from a licensed mental health practitioner. If you or a loved one experiences suicidal thoughts, dial 911 or go the nearest emergency room for an evaluation.

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Mechanisms Of Sleep Regulation And Disturbances In Depression

Research over the past 25 years has revealed that the sleep-wake cycle is regulated by two separate but interacting processes, the circadian process and the homeostatic , or recovery process.

The C process is that which regulates the daily rhythms of the body and brain. Circadian patterns of activity arc found in many organs and cells, and the main circadian pacemaker is found in a group of cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. These cells provide an oscillatory pattern of activity which drives rhythms such as sleep-wake activity, hormone release, liver function, etc. This drive from the SCN is innate, self-sustaining, and independent of tiredness or amount of sleep. It is affected markedly by light and to some extent by temperature. Bright light in the evening will delay the clock, and bright light in the morning is necessary to synchronize the clock to a 24-hour rhythm in constant light or darkness the cycle length is about 24.3 h. All animals have such a clock, and the period and timing appear to be dependent on particular genes, which are similar in fruit flies and mammals.

Stay Alert For Signs Of Depression

These include feeling hopeless, helpless or sad trouble concentrating and remembering things loss of energy daytime sleepiness loss of interest in activities that once gave you pleasure or thoughts of suicide or death. Tell your doctor if you have any of these.

This is especially important if youre discussing insomnia with your doctor. Insomnia may be a separate condition or it may be a symptom of depression, Finan explains. Your doctor needs to know as much as possible to treat the right problem.

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How Sleep And Depression Are Related

2 Minute Read

Sleep and depression are so intertwined that its hard to know if one causes the other or if theyre just associated.

Both insomnia and sleeping too much are symptoms that can help diagnose depression. Excessive fatigue during the day, called hypersomnia, is also a signal.

Sleep isnt just something you do to feel alert during the day. It also allows your body to perform necessary biological repairs, affecting your immune systems, heart health, and other cell functions. Researchers and clinicians still arent sure what the exact relationship is between sleep and depression, but they do know theres a link.

Lets start with a few statistics:

• At some point in their lives, depression will affect 25 percent of women and 10 percent of men.
• A study published in the journal Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience found that about 75 percent of patients with depression also have insomnia.
• Those with insomnia have a 10 times greater risk of developing depression than those who sleep well, says the National Sleep Foundation .

Admit That You Cannot Cure Your Partners Depression

Your spouse needs your love, support, and concern, but these important qualities cant reverse depression any more than they can control blood sugar, ease arthritis pain, or clear out clogged arteries. Just as you wouldnt rely on love alone to cure a medical conditionor withdraw love because it didntdont expect that your feelings or attention will be able to alter your spouses off-kilter brain chemistry. Use your love to get help and to remind your partner of his or her intrinsic worth during this challenging time, Walfish advises.

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Be Alert To Small Changes

Depression can come on slowly, almost imperceptibly. You look for all types of other explanationswe just had a new baby, its a tough time at work, its a phase, Scott-Lowe notes. It can take a while to see the pattern or to be ready to accept that depression might be the cause.

Often its up to the non-depressed spouse to take the lead, Walfish says. The illness itself often prevents depressed people from recognizing that somethings wrong or seeking help. They may feel too lethargic or withdrawn or may think they can fix it alone.

If you notice that your spouse isnt acting, feeling, or thinking as he or she normally does, ask yourself if it could be depression, but dont stop there. Depression may be the reason your spouse is working extremely long hours, drinking too much, using recreational drugs, or looking for thrills in risky activities. It can also look different in men and women, she adds.

Reshape Your Brain Conditioning

Be sure that your subconscious mind will absorb all of the hidden affirmations. According to world-famous researchers, the unconscious processes 40 million bits of information every second! On the other hand, consciousness processes only 40 bits of information. In other words, the subconscious mind is a million times stronger than your consciousness!

Now imagine that throughout the night you will be exposed to tens of thousands of repeated hidden affirmations that are specially designed to beat morning depression, without any internal resistance whatsoever.

What do you believe is going to happen? Thats right! Youll start creating new neural pathways. This method has been explored in many studies and has been found to be an efficient means of decreasing depression, anxiety, and various addictions such as alcohol and food, and helping with other areas of life.

I recorded it using multi-layers a unique formula that has changed the lives of thousands of people worldwide! They will do the same for you.

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Depression Affects Your Diet

When youre feeling depressed, you might have less of an appetite, skip meals, or have an overwhelming desire for sweet foods that have less nutritional value.

Large quantities of fat and sugar can make you feel groggy and tired.

Nutritious foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can provide healthy antioxidants and nutrients with energy-boosting effects and these are the foods that we tend to put to aside when depression arises.

Diagnosis Or Identifying Depression Naps

It can be hard to pinpoint whether a napping habit is truly a symptom of depression, or if youre just exhausted, Dr. Dimitriu says. The first step is to confirm whether basic human needs are being met, such as getting enough sleep for at least a week, eating healthy, some socialization, and exercise

Working too much and playing too little can also cause burnout or depression, terms that are often used interchangeably, which can add further confusion. If someone experiences low mood on more days than not, with a loss of interest in pleasure or lack of joy, it may be time to speak to a professional, Dr. Dimitriu says. However, thoughts of death or suicide are an immediate red flag that professional help is needed.

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Morning Depression While Vacationing

Here is an interesting point that illustrates my view on morning depression. Almost everyone I talked to who suffers from depression upon waking gave the same reply to the question I asked.

The question was simple: While on vacation, are you also that depressed when waking up? The answer was no among all of them. What happened to all the causes listed above? Do they just go away on vacation?

The answer is simple. When you step out of your stressful reality and travel somewhere relaxing, all the trouble goes away. You become so laid back and at ease, so the depression you usually have during the morning time disappears.

Addressing Sleep Problems Makes A Difference

If you sleep poorly and feel depressed, anxious, or less emotionally responsive, there are many treatments that can help. First, look at your sleep habits and see if there are steps that you can take on your own to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep. See Adopt Good Sleep Habits for tips on how to improve your sleep. If problems persist, you may wish to see a medical provider and ask about an evaluation for sleep problems and mental health concerns. After an evaluation and diagnosis, your provider can advise you on the best course of treatment. Options may include behavioral or other forms of therapy and/or medications. You can read about and watch a video of a behavioral sleep consultation in the Healthy Sleep module.Even if you do not have underlying sleep problems, taking steps to ensure adequate sleep will lead to improved mood and well-being. Sheila, a Boston district attorney and mother, became sleep deprived due to the conflicting demands of a full-time job and caring for her young children. She began to feel cranky, irritable, and uncharacteristically depressed. When she got both of her children on a consistent sleep schedule, she herself started sleeping an average of seven to eight hours a night and her mood improved considerably. Read more and watch a video about this in Sheila’s Balancing Act.

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Distress And Quality Of Life

Disturbed sleep is a very distressing symptom which has huge impact on quality of life in depressed patients. We surveyed the views of patients with depression about their symptoms and associated sleep difficulties. In this study, 2800 members of Depression Alliance, a UK-based charity for people with depression, were sent a postal questionnaire. Respondents were asked if, when they are depressed, they suffer from sleep difficulties .

Does Depression Make You Sleepy

Depression could be an integral aspect of sleep disturbance , according to a journal published on the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Although the direct link of both issues may be still debatable, some studies showed that sleep disturbance and depression are intertwined.

Feeling sad for once in a while in your life is completely normal, because we all agree that this is a fundamental part of the journey in live, which is also a natural human response. But persistent feeling of anxiety, hopelessness, disinterest, and sadness should be concerned as well because they may signal depression!

Unfortunately, many people still ignore and underestimate the presence of this mood disorder. In fact, it affects about 20 million people in the U.S .

Most doctors agree that it is a serious health condition. If left untreated, it can be potential to affect your daily activities seriously!

The sleep disturbance itself in depressed people can also lead to a cascade of other problems. It affects the productivity of patient, and also sometimes may cause some physical symptoms .

So, does depression cause and make you sleepy?

Many times doctors cannot provide the answer of this question with certainty. But we can say that there is a chance for depression to make you sleepy, though this varies from case to case.

The link is not fully understood yet. But one thing that has been confirmed that this mood disorder often co-exists with sleep disturbance.

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Fatigue Or Lack Of Energy

We all feel less energetic from time to time, so fatigue on its own isn’t necessarily a symptom of depression or a sign of a depressive episode, says Gabriela Cora, MD, managing partner of the Florida Neuroscience Center and a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. “However, if fatigue lingers and is accompanied by low mood and decreased motivation or interest, this lack of energy may be tied to early signs of depression,” she says.

How Does Depression Affect Your Sleep

Thereâs been an increasing focus on mental health during the past few years and not without good reason:

• In the UK, one in four people is likely to experience a mental health problem each year in England alone
• One in six people will be unfortunate enough for that problem to be depression, anxiety or a combination of the two1.

The impact of these disorders can be crippling, with the adverse effects impacting upon every aspect of daily life.

Therefore, if youâre reading this and think you may be suffering from depression or anxiety, we urge you to seek help as soon as possible here

Sleep is just one of the aspects of your life affected by depression.

As we know from the literature, the extensive number of articles on the subject and relevant websites, a good nightâs sleep benefits health, mental ability and mood. This means that:

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Ways You Can Look After Yourself

If youre depressed, there are steps you can take to lift your mood and help your recovery. These steps can help if youve been depressed in the past and want to stay well.

• Talk about how youre feeling. Talking to someone you trust, or finding peer support, can help you feel better and less alone.
• Eat well. A healthy diet can lift your mood and maintain your mental health.
• Stay physically active. Exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do, but it can ease the symptoms of depression. Research suggests it may be as effective as antidepressants in helping you feel better.
• Spend time in nature. Research shows that being in nature can make us feel happier, feel our lives are more worthwhile, and reduce our levels of depression
• Avoid cigarettes and alcohol. They may feel like theyre helping at first, but they make things worse in the long run.
• Try talking therapy to stay well. NICE guidelines recommend CBT or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy if youve been depressed in the past.