Depression affects sleep and it’s a fact many would want to know more.
Depression is a state that won’t simply go away. It’s a condition that influences a person’s way of eating, sleeping, socializing, feeling, and thinking. Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness are signs of depression, a condition that affects millions of Filipinos.
There is a reciprocal relationship between sleep shortage and depression. Depression can trigger sleep problems and sleep problems can trigger depression. Depression can induce insomnia and frequent awakenings, thus, worsening sleep quality.
Living with depression is hard. Here’s what you need to know about how it affects your sleep habits.
What’s the relationship between depression and sleep?
Intense sadness, anxiety, pain, and worthlessness can leave you tossing and turning overnight and interrupt sleep. You’ll lie on the bed and stay awake while your mind might be overwhelmed with feelings and situations you can’t control.
At the end of the day, you’ll wake up irritable, tired, and guilty. Chronic depression and lack of sleep can further lead to complications such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and low immunity.
In severe cases, it can be fatal.
Likewise, depression affects sleep; and, a lack of sleep can cause mood changes and irritability. If it’s left untreated, the amalgamation of feelings might turn to depression also.
Symptoms of depression
You can’t exactly put into words how a person feels when they’re depressed. However, these are common symptoms psychiatrists found in a person who’s depressed.
- Intense feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and helplessness
- Feeling of anxiety and guilt
- Tired, lethargic, slow to moody, angry, and irritable
- Unmotivated and lack of energy to try finer things
- Difficulty in remembering, thinking, or making decisions
- Thoughts of death
- Incessant need for sleep during daytime, which leads to sleep loss
- Physical body changes
Depression may also manifest physical symptoms such as headaches, body pain, or gastroenteritis. Depression is called “severe” if a person has five or more symptoms for 14 days. Actually, years.
How can depression and sleep loss be treated?
Depression can’t be cured easily. We all look for several factors to treat it, like how it depends on the severity disorder is. Counseling coupled with antidepressants is highly effective in treating depression.
These medications help the person cope with the feelings of hopelessness due to promoting happy hormones and instilling alertness.
While medications may treat depression, it can induce other side effects such as wakefulness. If that’s the case, talk to your doctor about any alternatives that can make you sleep.
Antidepressants your doctor may prescribe for depression can be any of the following:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- Sedating antidepressants
- Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- Tricyclic antidepressants
Since depression affects sleep, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills or hypnosis to help you rest.
Lifestyle tips to treat depression and sleep loss
If counseling or going to a psychiatrist is not an option, one can instill these lifestyle habits daily. For depressed people, it may be hard to practice these routines because of the lack of motivation.
However, with a little love from friends and family, they can help themselves pull out from that dark cloud.
Remember, when you’re down and sad, it’s best to take these tips in small steps!
Do meditation and breathing exercises
Meditation and coupled with breathing exercises help clear your thoughts and increase relaxation. For individuals with troubled minds, it’s hard to make a run-through of meditating. Depression affects sleep, thus, meditation is the most effective way to combat negative emotions.
Our advice is to take at least 2 minutes a day for meditation. From there, you can work to 5 minutes, and gradually to 30 minutes or more.
Keep regular exercise
Exercise is known to induce better sleep a night and promotes happiness through the release of endorphins and other happy hormones. Exercise pumps our positive mood and turns this energy to be more productive during the daytime.
When our energy is properly used for the whole day, it can encourage the release of the hormone melatonin for sleep and rest.
Clear your head of responsibilities with a writing journal
Too much to do and don’t know how to handle everything? Put it down on a journal and see what needs to be prioritized. Set around 4 to 6 goals in a day and work on them, rather than doing everything in one day.
Adjust your sleeping environment
Is your room cluttered? Are there noises coming through the walls? Is the room hot? To get that wonderful sleep, it’s best to keep the room at a cool temperature, preferably at 67 degrees. When the room’s too hot, it can disturb your slumber and, not to mention, your mood.
If the room is too noisy, cancel the sounds with a white noise machine or with a whirr or a fan or air conditioner. Also, if your room is disorganized, you will end up with a disorganized mindset. Depression affects sleep and too much clutter can disturb your senses and eventually, your slumber.
Instill pre-sleep routines
Pre-sleep routines are habits that can make you relax before going to bed. Instead of tossing and turning, why not read a book, take a warm shower, or drink tea? You can even do light activities such as organizing your room or simply listen to soft music.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or smoking
These substances can hamper sleep and, not to mention, your mediations, if you’re taking them. Caffeine can make you feel jittery and awake and so does, liquor and nicotine. In fact, it can further contribute to depression.
Go into a social media detox
Social media oftentimes causes our fear of missing out (FOMO). Our FOMO tendencies can bring anxiety and guilt for not being present in an event, experience, or social situation. This, in turn, can lead to depression. Why not go into a social media detox for three, seven, or ten days?
People reported handling better social media news after they’ve given up social media usage for a certain number of days.
Knowing that depression affects sleep, it works both ways. By limiting technology, you can sleep well and curb any thoughts of FOMO.
