What Are My Options
Since depression is at the core of your depression fatigue, its important to look into ways that you might want to treat your mental health above anything else.
There are many options, and each type of treatment can offer a different approach in helping you to deal with the challenges that come as a result of your feelings of depression.
Here are two main treatment options to consider:
Reach Out To Other People
Both Harris and Liu emphasize the importance of connecting with others for preventing depression. Liu encourages people who are depressed to make an effort to call old friends or family members, take company on your walks , or engage in other ways with people you care about.
Social support goes such a long way, even in the face of natural disasters, because experiencing something together creates connection and understanding, she says.
Michelle definitely feels interacting with other people helps her. But she worries about asking people who are already overwhelmed to spend time with herand then finding herself turned down or ignored.
Dealing With The Winter Blues
For some people, the reduced daylight hours of winter lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder . SAD can make you feel like a completely different person to who you are in the summer: hopeless, sad, tense, or stressed, with no interest in friends or activities you normally love. No matter how hopeless you feel, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mood stable throughout the year.
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Make Exercise And Sleep Priorities
When it comes to your mental health, exercise and sleep are invaluable.
With exercise, it doesnt require the time commitment as many people think. Moderate exercise walking at a brisk pace every day for 20 to 30 minutes can do wonders for your mental well-being.
Beyond helping you get into better shape physically, exercise boosts your immune system and increases endurance. Its also a great stress reducer and will improve both your mood and anxiety levels.
Its critical that whatever your exercise routine, its easy for you to follow and stick to.
Sleep is also critical. Few things will improve your health faster than getting consistent, sustained periods of sleep. And the truth is, how you sleep is equally as important as how much.
Your environment should be conducive to a good nights rest. The room should be dark, quiet, and at a cool, comfortable temperature. Try to avoid electronics, particularly smartphones and tablets, at least two to three hours before bed.
As with exercise, create a sleep routine that is consistent and easily repeatable. Keep it calm and ensure that it occurs at the same time every evening to ensure the best nights rest.
Consider Whether Sleep Is The Whole Picture
Sleep – or a lack of it – is often a scapegoat, says Carmona. People are always surprised to hear that the amount of sleep that you get isnt actually a good predictor of how fatigued you’ll be the next day, it’s really more about our perception of our sleep.
A past graduate from the lab, Andy Harris, did her dissertation on this, and she found that people’s rating of their sleep quality was a much bigger determinant of how they felt the next day, rather than the actual amount of hours that they got.
Ask yourself: has there ever been a time when I slept really well, and still felt tired? Or conversely, when I felt like I slept really poorly and still was able to perform well? Like if you think about studying for an exam, and you’re up late, and then you’re able to do fine on the exam and do what you need to do throughout the day, thats a sign that its more likely the thoughts around your sleep than your actual sleep, says Carmona.
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When Youre Depressed You Cant Just Will Yourself To Snap Out Of It But This Guide To Depression Help Can Put You On The Road To Recovery
Coronavirus update
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of us are dealing with social distancing, isolation, and lockdowns that make it even harder to cope with symptoms of depression. Whatever your circumstances, though, there are ways to overcome feelings of sadness and despair, improve your mood, and regain a sense of hope. In addition to the tips in this article, you can also find help for depression in our Coronavirus Mental Health Toolkit.
Get A Handle On Stress
Stress can drive up levels of a brain chemical called cortisol, which has been found to be higher in folks with depression. There are lots of strategies for coping with stress, such as time management, meditation, and biofeedback training.
Some stress-relieving activities that you might want to incorporate into your daily life include:
- Deep breathing: A few minutes to slow your breathing and focus your attention on your body in the moment can help you get a better handle on your worries.
- Exercise: Regular physical activity is a great way to blow off steam.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: This process involves intentionally tightening muscles throughout the body, holding that tension for several counts, and then releasing that tension until the muscles are completely relaxed. With regular practice, you may be able to learn how to intentionally relax your body fairly quickly whenever you are feeling tense.
Learning to manage your stress takes time and practice. Talk to your doctor or therapist about other strategies you might try to minimize the stress and your response to it.
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You Dont Sleep As Well
Depression may be disrupting your sleeping patterns in some way. About 80% of people with depression, for example, experience insomnia.
But its not just a lack of sleep that causes tiredness. Oversleeping, which is also a common symptom of depression, can cause similar feelings of fatigue over a period of time.
These kinds of sleep irregularities are among the biggest causes of fatigue in those who experience depression.
Who Is At High Risk For Depression
Those most at risk for developing depression include women, the elderly, those with a personal or family history of depression, chronic stressors, those with other concurrent mental and physical health conditions, low socioeconomic status, and those taking medications that may cause depression, like birth control or some anxiety medications.
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Rule Out Health Problems
Fatigue is a common symptom of many illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, anemia, thyroid disease, and sleep apnea. Talk to your doctor if you feel unusually tired.
Many medications can contribute to fatigue. These include some blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, diuretics, and other drugs. If you begin to experience fatigue after starting a new medication, tell your doctor.
Difficulty Experiencing Joy Or Connection
When were depressed, it can take all of the enjoyment out of the things we love and make it more difficult for us to connect to those closest to us. We may begin to lose interest in hobbies, friendships, schoolwork, social activities, sex or life in general. When this happens, we may find ourselves feeling isolated from friends, family members or others who care about us.
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Diagnosing Depression And Fatigue
To make a depression diagnosis, your doctor will ask you about your medical history and give you a questionnaire that assesses depression. They may use other methods, such as blood tests or X-rays, to make sure another disorder isnt causing your symptoms.
Before diagnosing you with chronic fatigue syndrome, your doctor will run several tests to rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms. These may include restless leg syndrome, diabetes, or depression.
Get Some Rest In A Bed Or Cot
This is by far the most apparent. The simplest method to decrease tiredness is to sleep on a bed/army cot or anything that enables you to sleep in.
The effects vary based on a variety of variables, but on average, you burn 100 calories every hour of sleep.
Its simple to test this: sleep for an hour, then determine how much tiredness was decreased and how long you need to sleep till you reach zero. If you sleep a few times in a succession, there will be no punishment.
The greatest issue with beds, though, is that they arent easily accessible everywhere.
Plus, you cant simply take a sleep if youre in the midst of a fight and your character is exhausted. Other things, fortunately, may assist you in reducing tiredness.
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Causes Of Mental Exhaustion
Mental fatigue can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and in any environment. It can be caused by many different factors, both personal and professional.
Some causes of mental fatigue and exhaustion include:
- Jobs with high levels of stress
- Working extended periods without taking breaks
- Having to make too many decisions, leading to
- Constantly switching between tasks
- Living with a serious illness of having chronic health issues
- Having to care for someone with a serious illness or who has chronic health issues
- Being isolated socially
Bottom line: If you dont pay close attention to your emotional health, social support system, or overall work-life balance, youre more susceptible to mental fatigue.
Depression Also Affects Your Ability To Sleep
Adults should sleep seven hours a day or more, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For people with depression, that task may be challenging.
“People with depression often have trouble falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep, or both,” says Dimitriu. People with depression may experience less slow wave or deep sleep, according to a September 2014 review in the journal Sleep Science. The end result? Sleep feels “less restful and restorative,” says Ricke.
Plus, people who are depressed can engage in “maladaptive behaviors that contribute to poor sleep,” says Ricke. For instance, depression-related fatigue can lead to someone taking a nap, which will only make falling asleep in the evening harder, she says.
Dimitriu and Ricke note that staying active may be hard for someone with depression, but resisting the temptation to stay on the couch can go a long way in fact, getting some physical activity each day may even help you sleep better at night.
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How To Overcome Quarantine Fatigue And Post
if youre still spending most of your waking hours at home working remotely, with no companions except immediate family members, your streaming services and the 24-hour news channels you may be feeling stressed and burnt out from the seemingly endless isolation.
You arent alone: More people have experienced anxiety, depression, loneliness, increased stress and burnout during the pandemic.
Listen To Upbeat Music
There’s no doubt that music can have an impact on how you feel, so choosing the right music when you’re feeling down might be an effective way of lifting your mood.
Research has found people who are depressed may have a tendency to choose music that intensifies rumination, sadness, and emotion-focused coping. So while you might be tempted to turn to somber tearjerkers when you’re feeling down, consider listening to more upbeat songs to boost your mood and inspire positive feelings.
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If You Need To Wallow Wallow But Do So Constructively
Suppressing your feelings and emotions may seem like a strategic way to cope with the negative symptoms of depression. But this technique is ultimately unhealthy.
If youre having a down day, have it. Let yourself feel the emotions but dont stay there.
Consider writing or journaling about what youre experiencing. Then, when the feelings lift, write about that, too.
Seeing the ebb and flow of depressive symptoms can be instructive for both self-healing and hope.
Is An Irregular Schedule A Contributing Factor
Carmona says that, although the end of daylight savings time in November is often the named culprit for peoples sense of exhaustion, its not the whole picture. I think daylight savings time gets a really bad rap. People say that they feel very impacted by it, but something that we focus on in insomnia research a lot is the phenomenon called social jetlag, which is basically jet lag without travelling.
The more variability you have in your sleep schedule, the more itll leave you feeling drained, she says. If you go to bed at 11 p.m. on a school night and wake up at 7:30 a.m., but then go to sleep at 3 a.m. on the weekend and sleep in until 11 a.m., it creates jetlag within your body. So, on a week-to-week basis, people are creating a lot more variability than shifting their schedule by one hour from daylight savings. Keeping a regular sleep schedule – particularly being consistent in the time you get out of bed in the morning – can be helpful if you are noticing signs of insomnia and fatigue.
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Tip : Eat A Healthy Depression
What you eat has a direct impact on the way you feel. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your brain and mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, and foods with high levels of chemical preservatives or hormones .
Dont skip meals. Going too long between meals can make you feel irritable and tired, so aim to eat something at least every three to four hours.
Minimize sugar and refined carbs. You may crave sugary snacks, baked goods, or comfort foods such as pasta or French fries, but these feel-good foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy. Aim to cut out as much of these foods as possible.
Boost your B vitamins. Deficiencies in B vitamins such as folic acid and B-12 can trigger depression. To get more, take a B-complex vitamin supplement or eat more citrus fruit, leafy greens, beans, chicken, and eggs.
Boost your mood with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in stabilizing mood. The best sources are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, tuna, and some cold-water fish oil supplements.
How Can I Help Someone With Depression
Helping someone with depression might not look a single way. However, things that you can do to help include encouraging treatment, listening with compassion, helping the person suffering with daily tasks, be vigilant for signs of suicidal behavior, and to make sure you are caring for yourself, too.
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What Is Samhsa’s National Helpline
SAMHSAs National Helpline, , or TTY: is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
Reach Out To The Sleep And Depression Lab
In addition to conducting research on sleep disorders like insomnia and their connection to mood disorders, the SAD Lab also provides free Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to community members living with insomnia. To learn more, contact the SAD Lab by email at .
If community members who are reading this would like to receive insomnia therapy and they meet the eligibility requirements, we’d be happy to have them participate in our study, says Carmona. Its our way of giving back to the community.
Carmona says that students looking for more information about a good nights sleep should check out the labs app, DOZe, external link, which they launched over the pandemic.
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Celiac Disease Food Allergies Intolerances And Sensitivities
In cases of persistent fatigue, your doctor might test you for celiac disease. It is an autoimmune disease whereby the bodys immune system attacks itself when gluten is eaten. Its a serious condition which causes damage to the lining of the gut and that then means that your body cant absorb nutrients properly.
Food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances are different.
Food allergies tend to be immediate reactions triggered by your immune system, e.g. tingling of the tongue and swelling of the lips every time you eat a certain fruit or nut. These reactions can be life-threatening for some with severe allergies.
A food sensitivity means that your immune system creates antibodies to proteins in foods that youve eaten and are sensitive to. To give an example, for some people that might be to gluten, dairy or eggs. These reactions arent life-threatening and the symptoms are often not immediate but can often include fatigue.
A food intolerances, strictly speaking although this is often confused with food sensitivities, means that your digestive system struggles to break down certain parts of your food. A great example here is lactose intolerance. Lactose is a sugar in many dairy products and many people lack the enzyme lactase to break it down. And lactose intolerance has been associated with fatigue .
Food sensitivities and intolerances can be temporary so may not last forever. Improving your digestion and the health of your gut can be really helpful.
How To Overcome Mental Fatigue According To An Expert
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed? Emotionally and mentally drained most of the time? If so, chances are you might be suffering from mental fatigue.
Mental fatigue is a condition triggered by prolonged cognitive activity. Basically, it sends your brain into overdrive, leaving you exhausted, hampering your productivity and overall cognitive function.
The most common symptoms include mental block, lack of motivation, irritability, stress eating or loss of appetite and insomnia. Mental exhaustion can affect you for both short-term or long-term.
If left unchecked, it can lead to all sorts of serious health problems, including anxiety and burnout. Research suggests that constant mental exhaustion can also impact your physical endurance.
What exactly causes mental fatigue?
Other potential causes include medication, stress and ailments such as depression, fibromyalgia and autoimmune disease. Emotionally challenging experiences like divorce or death of a loved one can also contribute to brain fatigue.
So, how can you beat mental exhaustion?
Adopting the following strategies can help ease mental fatigue:
Other than that, eat healthy, cut back on caffeine, exercise regularly and get enough zzz’s .
Lastly, here are some surefire strategies to prevent brain fatigue and improve mental clarity:
And remember, “the more you work on systems for reducing stress and excess decision-making, the more mental energy you’ll have,” adds Dr Boyes.
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