Friday, March 29, 2024

How To Sleep When You Re Depressed

What Is Samhsa’s National Helpline

How To Fall Asleep In 2 Minutes

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.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

What To Do If Youre Too Depressed To Get Out Of Bed

Medically reviewed by Katelyn Hagerty, FNP

Depression is a common mental illness that can have a serious impact on the way you think and feel. It can make you tired, sad, anxious and irritable. It can cause your hobbies and passions to stop being enjoyable. Sometimes, it can even make getting out of bed feel almost impossible.

When youre in the middle of a depressive episode, its normal to experience difficulty waking up and starting your day.

In fact, many people with major depression have whats called diurnal variation of their depressive symptoms, or rather, symptoms that are worse in the morning.

The good news is that with the right mindset, habits and treatment, its possible to deal with the tiredness and lack of motivation that often defines early mornings when youre going through a depressive episode.

Feeling too depressed to get out of bed? Below, weve shared nine tips to help make starting your day an easier process, even when youre going through a tough morning.

The Link Between Depression And Insomnia

Depression and insomnia are closely linked some people with insomnia end up developing depression, whereas those with depression can struggle to fall and stay asleep. For the purpose of this article, well focus on how to overcome insomnia triggered by depression. Persistent negative thoughts, anxiety, and extreme stress brought on by depression can keep you up at night. Some people also struggle with frequent nightmares caused by negative thoughts and feelings.

Depression can negatively impact serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin not only heavily influences feelings of happiness and relaxation, which are imperative for sleep and overcoming depression, but its also responsible for maintaining a balanced circadian rhythm . Treating insomnia caused by depression starts by reducing depression symptoms and altering your routines and behaviours to promote quality sleep.

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Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

Make your sleeping space as dark as possible. Use blackout curtains and remove or cover other minor sources of light, such as digital clocks or remote control devices. Try to stick to a consistent schedule for going to bed and getting up, and minimize daytime sleep. Limit alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol makes depressive feelings worse and also interferes with restful sleep. Caffeine can throw off the bodys natural rhythms hours later.

Other Treatment Options For Anxiety And Depression

9 Ways to Get to Sleep When You

If you have moderate to severe anxiety disorders or depression, its possible youll need to combine meditation with talk therapy or a prescription medication designed to reduce your symptoms, too Dr. Lagoy says meditation and medication put together can be a successful treatment approach in these cases. Talk therapy is a frontline treatement for both depression and anxiety.

Theres no one type of anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication that works well for everyone, but generally speaking, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the frontline treatment unless you have a medical condition or take other medications that limit use of SSRIs. Some common examples include Lexapro, Zoloft, and Paxil.

If you cant take SSRIs, other medication options for anxiety and depression include serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors , atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors . Your healthcare provider can recommend the best prescription drug for you based on your symptoms, medical and family history, and other lifestyle concerns.

Once your doctor has submitted a prescription for you, save on your mental health medication by using a SingleCare savings card.

If you have thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please seek help immediately. Go to your nearest emergency room or call a help line such as theNational Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Read Also: Natural Ways To Alleviate Depression

Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

Sleep Tips That Can Help With Depression

Getting a good nights sleep may improve depressive symptoms. When youre well rested, youre likely to have more energy and feel more upbeat.

Improving your sleep requires creating and sticking to good sleep habits.

Some ways to improve sleep, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness , are:

Recommended Reading: Why Am I All Of A Sudden Depressed

When You Cant Sleep

Practice good sleep hygiene

If youre tossing and turning at night, practicing sound sleep hygiene tips like the following may help:

  • Put away the electronics. If youre prone to doomscrolling on your phone in the middle of the night or watching Netflix in bed, you might consider banning electronics from your bedroom. Not only are these devices distracting, but research shows the blue light from your phone or tablet can disrupt the bodys production of the hormone melatonin, which can lead to insomnia.
  • Exercise a few hours beforehand. Activities like walking, running, cycling, lifting weights, or doing yoga can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. Just be sure to end your workout a few hours ahead of bedtime so the exciting hormones that build during exercise have time to flush out so you can wind down properly.
  • Choose a new nighttime bev.Drinking alcohol or caffeine too close to bedtime makes it harder to fall asleep. Suppose youre someone who enjoys a late-night espresso or chilled cocktail. In that case, you might consider ending your day with a cup of noncaffeinated tea or bubbly water instead.

Have a bedtime routine

shows that going to bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning helps establish a solid sleep routine, which can reduce stress and anxiety.

How To Overcome Sadness

How to fall asleep and sleep fast

While depression can feel overwhelming, fortunately, itâs very treatable, and symptoms can be managed. Itâs a good idea to talk with a doctor or a mental health specialist about your depression to determine a good course of action for treatment.

Your treatment may include the following.

Since insomnia and other sleep problems are often experienced in tandem with depression, itâs a good idea to form good sleep habits and work on your sleep hygiene as part of your treatment. Quality sleep can also help to reduce your symptoms of depression. Here are some things you can try to get better, healthier sleep.

You donât have to face your depression alone, and you donât have to form new sleep habits on your own either. Sleep Reset can help!

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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,21 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.

Why You Oversleep Or Cant Get Enough Sleep When Depressed

Depression can make it harder for you to fall asleep or more challenging to wake up in the morning. Its also not uncommon to feel sleepy during the day.

Sleep trouble can be caused by a dip in serotonin levels. Serotonin is a feel-good chemical messenger in the brain , and when it takes a plunge, you may feel extra sleepy. If youre having trouble falling asleep, stress may also be playing a role. Anxiety alerts the body to danger, and when your body is ready to fight or flee, insomnia or other sleep-wake disorders can follow.

While these sleeping woes can cause concern, you can overcome them by trying out these sleep tips that may help you get some shut-eye.

Read Also: Natural Mood Enhancers For Depression

Creating A Positive Bedtime Routine

  • 1Sari Eitches, MBE, MDIntegrative InternistExpert Interview. 3 April 2020. Avoid erratic sleep schedules where you go to bed at different times each night. You are more likely to feel rested if you begin to unwind and prepare for bed around the same time each day.
  • Keeping your sleep pattern consistent will help to avoid the feelings of sluggishness, lethargy, and fatigue that are commonly associated with depression.
  • Most adults need an average of 8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested. Teens need an average of 9 hours.XResearch source
  • Keep your sleep cycle consistent even on the weekends.
  • 2Create a pre-bedtime routine that helps you unwind. Allow yourself time to “unwind” before bed. Plan for about an hour between the time you start to get ready for bed, until your head hits the pillow. Don’t start activities that are stressful, or make you anxious, right before you get ready for bed. This is your time to get relaxed.
  • Having time to “unwind” will help to release negative thoughts, and prepare you for positive sleeping. If you haven’t allowed yourself time to unwind, your depressive thoughts may linger when you are trying to fall asleep.
  • Use a white noise machine or fan to drown out external noises, both outside of the room and the home.
  • Make sure the room is dark by using heavy curtains or blinds or using a sleep mask.
  • Make sure your bed is comfortable. Find spots or positions that feel more relaxing if possible.
  • Get a drink of water.
  • Pet your animals if you have any.
  • Will I Have To Take Antidepressants Forever

    Poor Sleeper? You

    This is one of the more common myths associated with the condition. You do not need to take antidepressants forever nor do you need to get a prescription from a counselor or therapist. During your first few sessions, you’ll have the chance to talk about your needs and find out whether antidepressants can help.

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    Make Your Bedroom A Sleep Sanctuary

    Avoid noise, lights, or distractions in the bedroom. Try blackout curtains to keep light out and a white noise machine to cover up environmental noises. Make sure your mattress and bed linens are comfortable, and try a nighttime routine that facilitates sleep. Listening to music or reading a book can be helpful.

    Incidence Of Sleep Symptoms In Depression

    Symptoms of disturbed night-time sleep in people with depression have been described extensively in both clinical and epidemiological studies. In clinical samples, difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep or both have been reported in about three quarters of all depressed patients.3,4 In epidemiological samples examining insomnia symptoms and depression, sleep symptoms occurred in 50% to 60% in a sample of young adults aged 21 to 30.5 In a UK population sample ,6 the incidence of insomnia symptoms in a wide age range of patients with depression increased with age. Overall, 83% of depressed patients had at least one insomnia symptom, compared with 36% who did not have depression. This varied from 77% in the 16-to-24-year age group to 90% in the 55-to-64-year age group. When the authors looked at the value of sleep symptoms as a screening aid for depression, the proportion of participants with depression who reported symptoms of insomnia sufficient to warrant a diagnosis of insomnia was 41%, and the proportion without depression and without a diagnosis was 96%. This supports the statement mentioned above that diagnosing depression without sleep complaints needs care.

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    Try Meditation To Improve Your Morning Moods

    Mindfulness meditation is a quick and easy way to calm your mind and reduce the severity of depression and anxiety. Research also shows that meditation can improve sleep habits, which may be helpful if youre prone to insomnia or oversleeping due to depression.

    If you often feel depressed in the morning, try setting aside five to 15 minutes of your morning routine to meditate at home before you start your day.

    Our guide to meditation for depression shares research on how meditation can help to reduce the severity of your symptoms, as well as practical tips to help you incorporate meditation into your morning routine.

    Open The Curtains And Let The Light In

    I Learned to Fall Asleep In 2 Minutes

    Over the years, experts in depression have studied a variety of non-pharmacological treatments for depressive disorders.

    One form of treatment thats shown promise in treating many forms of depression is bright light therapy . In fact, bright light therapy is considered a first-line treatment for a common form of depression called seasonal affective disorder .

    Bright light therapy involves exposing yourself to light, either naturally or from a therapeutic light box.

    One way to get a mild form of bright light therapy is to open the curtains once you wake up to let natural light into your bedroom.

    Research shows that bright light therapy helps to treat both seasonal and non-seasonal forms of depression. It may also improve sleep duration, which is often lower than normal in people with clinical depression.

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    Insomnia And Psychological Problems

    “There’s a big relationship between psychiatric and psychological problems and sleep. So people who are depressed or have anxiety often have trouble with sleep as part of those disorders,” says Dr. Lawrence Epstein, Medical Director of Sleep Health Centers and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. Difficulty sleeping is sometimes the first symptom of depression. Studies have found that 15 to 20 percent of people diagnosed with insomnia will develop major depression.2 While sleep research is still exploring the relationship between depression and sleep, studies have shown that depressed people may have abnormal sleep patterns.3Sleep problems may, in turn, contribute to psychological problems. For example, chronic insomnia may increase an individual’s risk of developing a mood disorder, such as depression or anxiety. In one major study of 10,000 adults, people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression.4 Lack of sleep can be an even greater risk factor for anxiety. In the same study, people with insomnia were 20 times more likely to develop panic disorder .5 Another study showed that insomnia is a reliable predictor of depression and many other psychiatric disorders, including all types of anxiety disorders.6

    How To Get A Good Night Sleep When Depressed

    This article was co-authored by Sari Eitches, MBE, MD. Dr. Sari Eitches is an Integrative Internist who runs Tower Integrative Health and Wellness, based in Los Angeles, California. She specializes in plant-based nutrition, weight management, women’s health, preventative medicine, and depression. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She received a BS from the University of California, Berkeley, an MD from SUNY Upstate Medical University, and an MBE from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, NY and served as an attending internist at the University of Pennsylvania.There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 107,694 times.

    Getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult for many, and it may be even more difficult for those with depression or chronic stress. It has been shown that depression and insomnia often go hand in hand. Yet studies have shown that improved sleep can also improve your mood.XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Psychological AssociationLeading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologistsGo to source Get better sleep by staying healthy in your daily activities, having a bedtime routine, avoiding things that keep you awake, and seeking advice when your sleep problems persist.

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    Take Sleep Problems Seriously

    You should tell your doctor if you:

    • have trouble falling or staying asleep
    • feel tired during the day
    • have physical pain, discomfort or other complaints that prevent you from getting a good nights sleep

    Treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and continuous positive airway pressure devices for apnea can restore good sleep, helping you sidestep related conditions like depression.

    Adopt A Bedtime Routine

    HOW TO SLEEP WHEN YOU

    In addition to following a sleep schedule, try performing the same sleep ritual each night. Practice calming behaviours like reading, journaling, listening to soothing music, taking a warm bath, or meditating. Your bedtime routine should be relatively consistent. In time, these routines will become a habit, and your brain, body, and mood will all adjust to this new pattern of behaviours.

    This can also give you something positive to look forward to for winding down your day, and is another way to signal your brain and body that its time for rest.

    Avoid using digital devices like watching television or scrolling through social media too close to bedtime. The blue lights emitted by these devices inhibit melatonin production the hormone responsible for inducing sleep.

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