Are Sleep and Severe Depression Connected?

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https://telegra.ph/Depression---Self-Help-Techniques-05-06https://www.click4r.com/posts/g/4199730/in-depression-you-have-grown-hard-tohttps://uchatoo.com/post/494987_https-www-being-app-blog-are-sleep-and-severe-depression-connected-https-www-bei.htmlhttps://canvas.instructure.com/eportfolios/1169449/Home/Steps_May_Cure_Depression_After_An_Opportunity_Uphttps://jellyhip11.tumblr.com/post/683477406540054528/depression-and-health-influencehttps://pastelink.net/cu0q6ifbhttps://diigo.com/0ogin1https://blogfreely.net/boardfifth05/its-to-be-able-to-get-gone-your-anxiety-and-depression-wouldnt-you-sayhttps://zenwriting.net/chordpest51/atypical-depression-acquire-experiencehttps://squareblogs.net/coilbrazil93/depression-help-journaling-for-depressionhttps://postheaven.net/plainpest96/end-recession-depressionhttps://writeablog.net/headjumper28/depression-how-may-feelhttp://ttytcauke.vn/Default.aspx?tabid=120&ch=60543

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Apr 7, 2022

What is severe depression ❓More on the connection between sleep and depression 🔗➡️ How does severe depression cause sleep disturbances?⬅️ How do sleep disorders lead to severe depression?Two easy ways to help ourselves ⛑️

POV ✨ : It's late in the night, and you are tired. You just want to shut off your brain and sleep. But nope, your brain wants to rehearse conversations, anticipate the future or remember cringe-y things you did in the past. Sigh.

Ever heard of 'bedtime revenge procrastination'? It's when you compensate for the lack of control you have over your day by using your sleep time to catch up on some me-time. In simple words, this translates to regular dissatisfaction with your day, an attempt to find control in the night by sacrificing your sleep, and then, repeat (because not getting 'em Zs makes it hard for us to have a proactive and productive day). We can set ourselves up for failure (or depression) like this - it's a vicious cycle.

And guess what, one of the most common depressive symptoms is poor sleep - either not being able to get a restful night or just not wanting to open your eyes in the day. It's either extreme, basically.

So yes, depression and sleep disturbances are connected - quite intimately so. Did you know? 75% of people with depression have insomnia (the sleep disorder where you have difficulty falling asleep). 15% have hypersomnia, and the rest deal with other conditions such as sleep apnea or destructive sleep apnea. And what's more? Depression and poor sleep have a two-way relationship - depression can cause sleep difficulties, and experiencing sleep problems can cause depression.

What is severe depression ❓

Severe Depression (aka Major Depression or Major Depressive Disorder) is a mental health condition that - as the name suggests - has symptoms of depression that fall on the more extreme end of the spectrum. Clinical Depression (which includes both mild and severe depression) is the experience of feeling low and sad for far longer than usual. And having such feelings tends to interfere with other parts of our lives. It can become challenging to concentrate, feel energetic or interact with people.

Mild Depression, unlike Severe Depression, generally does not have physical symptoms - like facing sleep disturbances regularly.

More on the connection between sleep and depression 🔗

➡️ How does severe depression cause sleep disturbances?

Severe Depression can have a number of triggers such as difficult experiences in life, family history, or chemical imbalance in the body. No matter what the trigger is, depression symptoms like overthinking, feeling anxious and an inability to make good decisions tend to disrupt our body's sleep-wake cycle.

Take 'bedtime revenge procrastination' for example. This is an unhealthy coping we tend to develop to beat depressive symptoms like feeling hopeless or unmotivated; but what we end up doing is, is hurting our ability to feel refreshed in the morning and prolonging our depressive symptoms.

Another way severe depression can affect the circadian rhythm (the clinical term for our sleep-wake cycle) is by using alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism. These substances tend to work against our natural body cycles by either giving us short-term pleasure and energy or, by pushing us into our beds deeper.

⬅️ How do sleep disorders lead to severe depression?

When our sleep cycle is affected, our body and brain do not get the rest they need. And one of the underlying causes of depression can be biological.

Poor sleep - having difficulty falling asleep or staying awake - lowers the levels of our brain chemicals like melatonin (our sleep hormone) and serotonin (our happy hormone). Our body's default setting is to adjust and survive - so when we don't sleep, our body assumes that it is good for us and is making the arrangements to ensure that we do not sleep as much.

But, but, but, this is not a great strategy, since we lose out on the benefits of the two stages of sleep.

Non-REM sleep (sleep stage #1), aka slow-wave sleep, is when every part of our body (including the brain) gets some much-needed rest.

REM sleep (sleep stage #2) is when our brain is active, we dream and consolidate our memories. Soo, not getting REM sleep means that we can wake up feeling flustered and lost because our brain never got the opportunity to update itself with our new experiences.

Two easy ways to help ourselves ⛑️

🚭 Avoid caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol in the evenings: As these stimulate our brain when it's time to slow down.

⏰ Create a sleep-wake routine: Use a mini-therapy when it's time to fall asleep. This acts as a tool to help you slip into sleep. And get out of bed as soon as you wake up - let your bed only be a place where you sleep and not one reserved for other activities.

To conclude, getting quality sleep is probably one of the most underrated ways to relieve some depressive symptoms.