How Does Sleep Relate To Mental Health
There’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health.
“Poor sleep leads to worrying. Worrying leads to poor sleep. Worrying about sleep is like your mind trying to fight itself. That’s a horrible place to be.”
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.
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.
How Do You Know If Its Sleep Deprivation Or Depression
Since there is a connection between sleep disorders and clinical depression, some people might have trouble distinguishing the two, especially if they have never been diagnosed.
Sleep deprivation is quite common. Many people regularly go through episodes of sleep deprivation when they are pulling all-nighters for work or studying, when taking care of a newborn, or when jet lagged. Sleep deprivations main symptom is daytime sleepiness, excessive yawning, irritability, feeling fuzzy, depressed mood, short-term memory loss, clumsiness, sluggishness, and increased appetite.
Recovering from an occasional night of sleeplessness is easy. But long-term sleep deprivation will directly affect your reasoning ability controlled by the prefrontal cortex. You may also have difficulty managing your emotions. You may experience mood swings, a negative disposition, and poor impulse control. The brain will have a difficult time performing and focusing. Some sleep-deprived people binge eat.
The good news is, sleep deprivation and its symptoms are relatively easy to treat. First and foremost, you must get your sleeping habits back on track. This might require some lifestyle adjustments or even medication, like over the counter drugs like melatonin or possibly even a prescription drug.
Managing sleep your sleep problems can have positive effects in alleviating your depression. Below are some tips that can alleviate your symptoms.
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Insomnia
CBTi is a specific form of therapy that is very effective for insomnia and it has been found to have a positive effect on mood as well as sleep. This makes sense, as when we sleep better we tend to feel better. 10
Data from our own research demonstrates that CBTi can help with depression. A large percentage of people who we help to overcome poor sleep also report an improvement in their mood.
People also report reduced depressive symptoms following support from Sleepstation even though we didnât provided any direct treatment for their depression.
We believe thatâs because of the unique way in which we deliver remote CBTi. Sleepstation is a fully supported CBTi course, delivered entirely online but highly personalised to the individual and supported by a team of coaches and sleep experts.
We work with people to understand whatâs going wrong with their sleep so that we can help them to tailor the sleep science to their individual needs and circumstances.
We believe that this uniquely personalised approach is what makes Sleepstation so effective.
Lifes Not Less Than A Nightmare
When lifes a nightmare, trust me dreams are just entertainment. Your life is tangled up in so many emotions and feelings. Waking up in the morning feels like a task.
Your bed becomes your comfort zone and the thought of leaving it is terrifying. When you begin to dread your life, sleep is one thing you may try to hold on to.
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What Depression And Insomnia Treatments Are Available
Treatment choices for depression depend on how serious the illness is. Major depressive disorder is treated with psychotherapy , medications, or a combination of the two.
The most effective treatment for depression is often a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Drugs tend to work more quickly to decrease symptoms while psychotherapy helps people learn coping strategies to prevent the onset of future depressive symptoms.
Medications used to treat depression include antidepressants such as:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , likeCelexa, Lexapro,Paxil, Prozac,and Zoloft these medications can perform double duty for patients by helping them sleep and elevating their mood, though some people taking these drugs may have trouble sleeping. Newer antidepressant medicines that affect multiple serotonin receptors besides the serotonin transporter include Viibryd and Trintellix.
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like Effexor, Pristiq, Khedezla, Fetzima, or Cymbalta, that affect the functioning of brain circuits involved in mood regulation that communicate using chemicals such as serotonin and norepinephrine
- Novel antidepressants such as bupropion and mirtazapine .
How Does Depression Affect Your Sleep
Theres 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 two.
The impact of these disorders can be crippling, with the adverse effects impacting upon every aspect of daily life.
Therefore, if youre reading this and think you may be suffering from depression or anxiety, we urge you to seek help as soon as possible
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 nights sleep benefits health, mental ability and mood. This means that:
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How Are Sleep And Depression Linked
An inability to sleep, or insomnia, can be one of the signs of depression . Lack of sleep alone cannot cause depression, but it does play a role. Lack of sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. An inability to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important clue that someone may be depressed.
Different Types Of Depression
There are different types of depression, and there are some conditions where depression is a symptom. These conditions include:
- Bipolar disorder people with bipolar disorder, which is also known as “manic depression”, experience times of depression, where the symptoms are similar to clinical depression. They also go through phases when they have excessively high moods . Bouts of mania can include harmful behaviour like unsafe sex, spending sprees and gambling.
- Seasonal affective disorder is also called “winter depression”. It’s depression that is related to weather, usually winter, so it happens seasonally.
- Postnatal depression happens to some women after they’ve had a baby. It’s treated similarly to other types of depression, with antidepressant medication and talking therapy.
Learn more about how depression is diagnosed here.
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Get Help For Both Depression And Sleep
If you have insomnia and depression, dont assume that medical treatment for one will automatically cure the other. Treatments for depression, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other medications, may improve your mood and outlook, but they may not be enough to improve your sleep.
Theres some evidence that lingering sleep problems in people undergoing depression treatment increase the risk of a slide back into depression. The good news: Theres also some early evidence that CBT-I , along with depression treatment, improves sleep in people with depression and may increase the chances of a remission of depression.
Antidepressant Drug Addiction Dependence And Withdrawal
If someone becomes dependent on antidepressants, addiction is a possibility. Abuse of antidepressants may not lead directly to death, but it can and will have adverse effects on the brains chemical balance, as well as the heart and respiratory system. Withdrawal, when weaning off the antidepressants, can send someone spiraling back into depression.
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Signs Of Depression In Men
While men are less likely than women to experience depression, it is still a serious health problem that affects a large number of males. Men are statistically less likely to acknowledge their depression or seek help and treatment. Furthermore, men with depression are at a greater risk of suicide than women, which may be related to problematic societal norms and pressures.
Signs of depression in men may include:
- Irritability or anger
- Physical symptoms, such as , chronic pain and digestive problems
- Substance abuse including alcohol
- Risk-taking, e.g. unsafe driving or unsafe sex
Despite a loss of interest in work or loss of concentration and attention, some men with depression may work longer hours than usual, possibly to avoid showing signs of the condition.
While the signs of depression may differ slightly between men and women, treatment is generally the same and typically includes talking to a mental health professional and taking antidepressant medication where recommended. Men experiencing symptoms of depression are advised to consult a medical practitioner. If you think that you might have signs of depression, try using the Ada app to find out more about your symptoms.
Relationship Between Depression And Insomnia
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Depressive symptoms: Goodpaths internal data shows that 79% of our sleep assessment respondents also have symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
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Diagnosis of depression: Trouble sleeping is also a common symptom when someone is diagnosed with clinical depression.
If youre able to sleep better, it may help with depression and other mental disorders. Likewise, treatment for mental disorders, including depression, may lessen or even resolve your sleep problems.
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Medical Problems Linked To Oversleeping
Diabetes. Studies have shown that sleeping too long or not enough each night can increase the risk for diabetes.
Obesity. Sleeping too much or too little could make you weigh too much, as well. One recent study showed that people who slept for nine or 10 hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period than were people who slept between seven and eight hours. This association between sleep and obesity remained the same even when food intake and exercise were taken into account.
Headaches. For some people prone to headaches, sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or vacation can cause head pain. Researchers believe this is due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin. People who sleep too much during the day and disrupt their nighttime sleep may also find themselves suffering from headaches in the morning.
Back pain. There was a time when doctors told people suffering from back pain to head straight to bed. But those days are long gone. You may not even need to curtail your regular exercise program when you are experiencing back pain. Check with your doctor. Doctors now realize the health benefits of maintaining a certain level of activity. And they recommend against sleeping more than usual, when possible.
Characteristics Traits And Symptoms
Just like feelings of depression can lead people to want to sleep all the time, being in a general state of sleep deprivation, whether it comes from caring for young kids, dealing with long work hours and work-related stress, or other personal reasons can also contribute to feelings of depression.
When it comes to distinguishing fatigue from sleepiness from depression, it helps to understand each one in more detail, and also to realize that getting an adequate seven to eight hours of sleep per night would likely benefit all three issues, Dr. Dimitriu says.
Sleepiness is usually the easiest to identify. You can do so by asking yourself if you would be able to fall asleep right now.
If sleep deprivation is the true issue, taking steps to clean up your sleep hygiene and prioritizing sleep as crucial for your health and well being can truly make a difference.
Fatigue, meanwhile, is different from sleepiness, with low energy, reduced motivation and drive, but not necessarily a desire to sleep, he says. With fatigue, your body may physically feel tired, which can also be a sign of another underlying health issue, which highlights the importance of keeping up with regular doctors visits and keeping your provider updated on any and all concerns.
If you suspect you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, its key to seek professional help to appropriately navigate the path forward.
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Oversleeping: A Sign Of Depression
The Causes of Oversleeping
Oversleeping can be caused by Hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is a medical disorder that causes people to feel extremely groggy and sleepy throughout the day regardless of how much sleep they had the night before. This condition causes people to sleep for super long periods of time at night but oversleeping can lead to feelings of anxiety, low energy levels and memory problems.
Another more known condition is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes a person to stop breathing for short periods of time while sleeping. Interruptions in sleep interrupts a persons sleep cycle several times throughout the night. Because our bodies need to reach that state of deep state of sleep to feel energized, a person with sleep apnea can feel extremely deprived of sleep even after sleeping for hours on end.
Of course not everyone that oversleeps suffers from a medical condition! Personally, I know Ive have days where I sleep in til noon after a long week and lack of rest. Often we play catch up and attempt to make up for hours of sleep we were unable to obtain throughout the busy week. It is important to be aware, however, if the habit continues for long periods of time.
Oversleeping has been known to cause or be associated with:
Additionally, there are psychological side effects that result from oversleeping.Psychological Effects of Oversleeping
Oversleeping and Bipolar Disorder
How Is Depression Diagnosed
Depression can only be diagnosed by a medical professional, so people experiencing symptoms of depression should talk with their doctor, counselor, or psychiatrist. They may ask about the severity of the symptoms and how long theyve persisted. They may also suggest tests that can help them to better understand your situation and monitor changes or improvements over time.
A provider may also refer patients to a specialist in sleep disorders to help determine if there is an underlying sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, that may be causing depression or contributing to symptoms.
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Major Depressive Disorder With Seasonal Pattern
Commonly called seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression, this condition involves symptoms of depression that flare up during certain times of the year. Seasonal depression usually occurs in the winter due to less sunlight, but it also impacts some people during the lighter months instead.
Because seasonal depression impacts the circadian rhythm during certain times of year when theres more or less sunlight, it can cause changes in sleep.
If you live with seasonal depression, you might sleep more in the winter or have trouble sleeping in the summer due to changes in the amount of sunlight youre exposed to.
Living with depression can alter or negatively impact your sleep patterns, but there are ways to combat this.
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.
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Irregular Sleep Connected To Bad Moods And Depression Study Shows
The more variation in wake up and sleep time, the worse mood and more chance of depression symptoms.
An irregular sleep schedule can increase a persons risk of depression over the long term as much as getting fewer hours of sleep overall, or staying up late most nights, a new study suggests.
Even when it comes to just their mood the next day, people whose waking time varies from day to day may find themselves in as much of a foul mood as those who stayed up extra late the night before, or got up extra early that morning, the study shows.
The study, conducted by a team from Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigans academic medical center, uses data from direct measurements of the sleep and mood of more than 2,100 early-career physicians over one year. Its published in npj Digital Medicine.
The interns, as they are called in their first year of residency training after medical school, all experienced the long intense work days and irregular work schedules that are the hallmark of this time in medical training. Those factors, changing from day to day, altered their ability to have regular sleep schedules.
The new paper is based on data gathered by tracking the interns sleep and other activity through commercial devices worn on their wrists, and asking them to report their daily mood on a smartphone app and take quarterly tests for signs of depression.
Depression Can Affect Sleep And Sleep Can Affect Depression
To give you a full review of how depression and sleep interact with each other would fill a book. Instead, weâve broken down the key scientific findings to show how people living with depression and poor sleep can use what weâve learned about these interactions to improve their mood and achieve better sleep.
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