Seeking Help For Depression
Get help if you’re still feeling down or depressed after a couple of weeks.
Treatments for depression include psychological therapies and antidepressants.
You can refer yourself for psychological therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling on the NHS. You don’t need a referral from your GP.
You can talk it through with your GP first if you prefer. Your GP can also tell you about antidepressants.
If you start to feel that your life isn’t worth living or about harming yourself, get help straight away.
You can:
- contact Samaritans on 116 123 for 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support
A Sign Of Atypical Depression
Dr. Drerup says that oversleeping is a symptom in 15% of people with depression and she notes that it tends to more often be related to atypical depression.
Atypical depression is a specific type of depression in which the persons mood can improve in response to a positive event. But even though their mood may brighten, its only temporary and the root depression remains.
Often, they dont realize theyre depressed, Dr. Drerup adds. Besides oversleeping, other symptoms are increased appetite and interpersonal sensitivity, like the feeling of being rejected. And that depression feeds into other reasons sleep can be so greatly affected.
What To Add To Your Bedtime Routine To Help You Fall Asleep
- Ending the day with a warm shower or bath has been found in one study to improve sleep.
- Finding a few minutes to meditate may prove to relieve stress.
- Listening to some of your favorite tunes can also help you relax.
- Research affirms that writing daily has benefits for your mental and overall health.
- After you climb into bed, reading a good old-fashioned book or magazine can help your mind unwind.
Maintain a comfortable atmosphere
When it comes to quality sleep, atmosphere matters. For starters, make sure your room is dark. Light of any sort tells the brain that its daytime, which not only makes it harder to stay asleep but can also derail the quality of your slumber.
To create a cozier atmosphere, you may want to make sure the temperature in your room is just right, too. While everyone has different preferences, the Sleep Foundation recommends keeping the temperature between 60 and 71 degrees.
One study measured the effectiveness of feet warming while sleeping in a cool bedroom environment and found that participants fell asleep 7.5 minutes faster and slept 32 minutes longer when wearing feet-warming bed socks.
If youre someone who cant fall asleep when its quiet, consider turning on an ambient noise machine.
Dont force yourself to sleep
It seems as though the very moment you tell yourself OK shut it off and go to sleep, your mind starts spinning and anxiety arises, which only makes it harder to fall asleep.
Recommended Reading: Things To Distract You From Depression
Start Your Day With Baby Steps
If just the thought of swinging your legs over the edge of the bed feels overwhelming, keep in mind that you dont have to take on the whole world at once. Take baby steps. Be kind to yourself and have a plan with small, attainable, achievable tasks that are easy for you to take on, one at a time. Think in terms of 1-foot-in-front-of-the-other. This can be a great mindset if youre trying to overcome feeling depressed in bed.Start with something as small as getting a glass of water. Know that youll have a light breakfast just after that. Then move on to brushing your hair and teeth. Getting dressed might be after that. Keep moving forward with these small, isolated tasks, one after the other, until your morning routine is complete and youre ready to take on your day.
Even the smallest of acts can be a massive struggle but trying to do something you would already do is starting the day. It may not be precisely in the morning but doing something is starting down the path. Including our basic needs into the small steps counts.
Start Each Morning With A Thankfulness Mantra
When youâre grappling with depression, it can be difficult to find joy in anything.
Lack of interest and an inability to find pleasure in things you used to is one of the symptoms of depression. Trying to remember â as difficult as it might be â that there are things in your life to be thankful for can actually motivate you to get moving in the morning.
âWhen you wake, begin with the thought, âWhat am I thankful for today?ââ recommends Dr. Beatrice Tauber Prior, a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and owner of Harborside Wellbeing in North Carolina.
âThen ask yourself to get up for the thing you are grateful for,â says Dr. Prior.
You may be grateful that you have a job. You may be grateful for your pets or your children. You may be grateful that you have a roof over your head. It doesnât matter how big or small.
Find one thing that youâre deeply grateful for and use it to power you up and outta bed.
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Want To Stay In Bed All Day
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the
In this article we will discuss why one feels the need to stay in bed all day, what is depression, its symptoms and treatment.
Ask Your Support Circle For Help
The number one thing to remember when battling depression is that you donât have to do it on your own.
âThose who struggle to get out of bed can find several other long-term solutions,â says Dr. Dwenger. âAntidepressants can be helpful on their own, but combining medication and therapy is much more effective for managing depression in the long run.â
Other therapies like yoga, meditation, and acupuncture can keep symptoms of depression at bay by regulating mood.
Avoiding alcohol and other central nervous system depressants is also crucial, because these substances can mimic or worsen depressive symptoms.
Also Check: Ways To Beat Depression And Anxiety
Take It One Step At A Time
When youre warm and cozy in bed, getting to work or the kids off to school can feel impossible there are so many steps between where you are and where you to need to be. Instead, dont look at the big picture.
When you wake up in the morning, if you look at everything you have to accomplish for the day, youre going to become overwhelmed, says Dr. Vinay Saranga, a psychiatrist based near Raleigh, North Carolina.
Instead, break the day down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Go one by one and only focus on the task that it is in front of you.
Tell yourself to put your feet on the floor. Then go to the bathroom. Then brush your teeth. Then get dressed and so on. Think just one step ahead until it feels more manageable to look further out.
The idea is to avoid overwhelm and make things simple to knock out, he says.
When You Oversleep During Depression
If your feelings of helplessness, malaise, and despair are causing you to oversleep, you may be experiencing hypersomnia. While hypersomnia isnt as common as insomnia, approximately 50% of people living with depression experience excessive sleepiness.
Here are some signs to look out for:
- sleeping for more than 7 to 9 hours each night
- sleeping through your alarm
- having trouble getting out of bed in the morning
- having difficulty concentrating
Most of us feel sluggish from time to time, but when hypersomnia becomes a pattern, it can be a sign of depression, especially among younger adults. In fact, research states that approximately 30% to 40% of people living with depression experience hypersomnia, according to research in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Recommended Reading: Depression Makes Me Not Want To Eat
How Is Sleep Anxiety Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider performs a physical exam, reviews your medical history and evaluates your symptoms. They may ask you questions like:
- Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
- Does your anxiety always occur before bed?
- How long does it take you to fall asleep?
- How often do you wake up during the night?
- What activities do you do before bed?
What Is Depression And How Does It Affect Our Lives
Depression is the most common medical illness affected by a roundabout of 246 billion people worldwide. It is a mood disorder negatively influencing our emotions and actions. The resulting symptoms may intensify from mild to severe if left untreated. Depression reinforces certain emotional and physical problems that can affect your daily life.
The most common obstacle that affects our everyday lives is our sleep routine and the hardest challenge encountered by the majority of youth, in contrast, is how to get out of bed in the morning.
Also Check: Free Depression Support Groups Nyc
Why Cant I Get Out Of Bed
Sometimes laziness tempts you to lie in bed when you wake up in the morning and end up lying there indolently for hours, or the guilty pleasures that you reward yourself with, during a busy routine. Other times its because you are depressed and cant bring yourself to get out of bed.
If you have been in this situation for more than two weeks, chances are you might be suffering from depression. If accompanied by this feeling, you are also indicating other symptoms such as low concentration span, anger, and constant sadness this behavior might likely be coming from you being depressed.
When You Don’t Sleep Enough
If you have depression and are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you may likely be dealing with insomnia. Symptoms may entail being awake for long periods of time before you can fall asleep or being awake for the majority of the night, sleeping in short bursts, waking up long before you plan to do so, and feeling as if you actually didn’t get sleep, according to MedlinePlus.
Insomnia can be a risk factor for depression, according to a March 2020 study published in The American Journal of Managed Care. “nsomnia strongly predicts the occurrence of depression. About 90% of patients with major depressive disorder report difficulty sleeping,” the study reported. Further, if you don’t get adequate sleep, you may have problems with concentration and memory or other serious issues.
Read Also: How To Heal Yourself From Depression
Can I Get Body Pain Because Im Lying In Bed All Day
Yes, when you stay in bed all day, it might be that you start to feel some back pain, it can also be that your muscles become sore because you can be tensing them up. Our body is not prepared for a person to stay more than two days in bed.
So try to not stay over that time, and also co sides bringing some exercises to your life as a way to make your body feel better, and more relaxed.
What Does The Research Say About Phenomenological Depression
An article presented by Kevin A. Aho has shed light on fascinating, narrow insights on depression narrated by the people who have experienced it first-hand. This research was done with the sole purpose of knowing what depression meant or what depression usually feels like. The analysis or summary of the article had three major findings. These findings may not be a profound solution, yet a vague answer to how and why depressed people find it hard to get out of bed each morning.
The first point mentioned is that depression makes it difficult to move or perform basic functional tasks resulting in the collapse of his functional life-world. The second point states that the individual fails to find any significance in his life or this world, and the third one stating that depression diminishes the affected persons possibility to create his own identity, the phenomenon of self-creation limiting him to explore the various alternatives of finding his true self and a way to live in this world. Then again, narrative reports are not accounted as justifiable in scientific research, and prevent medical experts and the general public from understanding the entirety of this experience.
How to cope with this illness?
The thing that can help the most is the thing that is most difficult to do, a catchphrase at depression recovery that sufficiently explains how every depressed person feels when he thinks about the things he should do to get better.
Read Also: Persistent Depression Vs Major Depression
Let Your Hunger Be Your Guide
On the days when youre struggling, think about breakfast or coffee, if youre not hungry in the mornings.
Fantasizing about what youll eat first thing can give you something to anticipate, and youll have to leave bed to go get it. Eventually, your growling belly might be enough motivation to get you moving.
Tips For Sleeping Better
Sleep problems can increase the risk of initially developing depression, and persistent sleep issues can also increase the risk of relapse in people who have successfully been treated for depression. As a result, taking some of the following steps can both help you sleep better, boost your mood, and help decrease some of the problematic symptoms of depression.
Read Also: Will I Have Depression For The Rest Of My Life
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.
Why Can I Not Get Up In The Morning
Possible underlying reasons include depression and anxiety. Depression is linked to dysania, a nonmedical term for when a person feels the need to stay in bed without sleeping. A wide range of physical conditions can also lead to fatigue, making it hard to get up. They include ME/CFS and long COVID.
Also Check: What Does Jesus Say About Depression
Let Yourself Have A Mental Health Day & Stay In Bed
Remember that you dont always have to be 100% on point. Maybe you need that mental health day today. Maybe staying in bed and watching a movie, or reading, or catching up on emails and working from bed is exactly what your body and mind have been craving. Sometimes you just need to make self care a priority, and thats OK.
We often convince ourselves that persevering is the most important thing, but sometimes its important to acknowledge the importance of taking care of our most basic needs, like rest and relaxation.
Pushing ourselves constantly when struggling with depression takes its toll on us. Ensuring some sort of self care day is important. This may be the day you allow yourself to stay in bed or just stay in your PJs and lounge.
This essential part of self care is just as important as knowing how to get out of bed when depressed. In fact, it might be the best thing you can do, so tomorrow you can get out of bed just a little bit easier.
Reviewed On: January 6, 2022
Types Of Depressive Disorders
Significant feelings of sadness or a loss of interest in their normal daily activities are common in all . Specific forms of depression vary based on the severity of symptoms and the situation in which they develop.
The most well-known type is major depressive disorder, and it is marked by symptoms that affect a person virtually every day for an extended period of time. It commonly involves sleep disruptions.
Persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia or chronic depression Trusted SourceEliserverEliserver is a publishing company that aims to help researchers and health care professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society.linkinghub.elsevier.com, may involve fewer symptoms than major depression, but symptoms last for at least two years and any symptom-free period lasts no longer than two months.
Other types of depression, such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder and seasonal affective disorder tend to come and go over shorter periods but can also involve significant sleeping problems.
Also Check: When Someone Tells You They Are Depressed
How Could Mental Health Problems Affect My Sleep
If you live with a mental health problem, this could affect your sleep in lots of ways. For example:
- can cause racing or repetitive thoughts, and worries that keep you awake. You may also have while you’re trying to sleep.
- and can make you sleep more, including staying in bed for longer or sleeping more often. Depression can also cause insomnia.
- If you’ve gone through , this can cause , nightmares or night terrors that disturb your sleep. You might feel unsafe or uncomfortable in bed or in the dark.
- and may make it difficult to sleep. You may , or see things you find frightening or disturbing.
- often causes feelings of energy and elation, so you might not feel tired or want to sleep. Racing thoughts can also keep you awake and cause insomnia.
- can cause side effects including insomnia, disturbed sleep, nightmares and oversleeping. Stopping psychiatric drugs can also cause sleep problems.