How Do Your Sleep and Depression Affect Each Other?

Oversleeping or insomnia are signs of depression.  But for some people, depression can also be brought on by persistently poor sleep.

How Do Your Sleep and Depression Affect Each Other?

Depression can frequently leave you feeling worn out, exhausted, and sleep-deprived. This could have several reasons.

For instance, persistent fatigue is a symptom of both hypersomnia and insomnia, two sleep disorders associated with depression.

A sleep disorder called insomnia makes people agitated and makes it hard to fall asleep. On the other hand, patients with hypersomnia experience inconsistent sleep patterns and excessive sleep.

What impact does depression have on sleep?

You could be wondering if sadness or disturbed sleep arrives first. In actuality, any might serve as the foundation.

A disorder such as sleeplessness may increase a person's risk of developing depression. Here, depression is brought on by sleep deprivation. In some instances, however, your sleep problems could be brought on by the emotional and cognitive abnormalities associated with depression.

Disordered sleeping can have both direct and indirect causes when depression is the reason. For instance, depression by itself may just make it more difficult to have a restful sleep.

Research Trusted Source indicates that REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is less common in depressed individuals. The REM period is an essential phase of sleep that affects mood, mental clarity, and memory.

As a result, depression-related reduced REM sleep can worsen the illness's emotional and physical symptoms, including fatigue and a forlorn or empty feeling.

Serotonin levels might also drop as a result of depression. Furthermore, it has long been established that serotonin contributes to the transition from wakefulness to sleep (Trusted Source).

For instance, studies indicate that the amino acid tryptophan may be useful in treating depression as well as sleep issues. This could be a result of its involvement in serotonin synthesis.

Furthermore, persons who are depressed frequently exhibit abnormal circadian rhythms, which might interfere with their ability to sleep.

Simply expressed, the circadian rhythm of the body clock is the trusted source. It speaks to the body's capacity to monitor and adjust to changes throughout the day. For instance, around 3 a.m., our bodies typically feel more exhausted than they do at 10 a.m.

Therefore, if you typically feel more invigorated at 10 a.m. than at 3 a.m., you may have a sleep issue linked to depression and a disrupted circadian rhythm.

Indirect effects of depression on sleep patterns are also possible. It may be more difficult to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen when depressed, which might have an effect on your energy levels.

Additional methods that depression can interfere with sleep include:

• making morning waking more difficult.
• taking naps during the day, which makes it harder to fall asleep at night.
• losing the ability to go back to sleep after awakening in the middle of the night.

Depression-related sleep problems.

There are a few other sleep disorders in addition to the two that are frequently associated with depression: hypersomnia and insomnia. Additionally, if you suffer from depression, you may have many sleep problems.

Insomnia.

Depression may arise more frequently in those with sleeplessness, and vice versa. Sleeplessness may be more common in those who are depressed.

A person with depression is estimated to have a greater lifetime insomnia rate than the average person (Trusted Source).

Hypersomnia.

Although less common than insomnia, hypersomnia is nonetheless closely associated with depression. It can make you extremely sleepy during the day, making it difficult to complete your regular tasks.

It usually occurs in atypical depression, with a beginning age of about 20 years old Trusted Source.

Apnea obstructive sleeper.

Another sleep disorder linked to depression is obstructive sleep apnea. The disorder is typified by recurrent episodes of closing the upper airway while you sleep.

When combined with unrefreshing sleep and excessive daytime exhaustion or sleepiness, loud, noisy, interrupted snoring is a common complaint among those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

It's possible that having obstructive sleep apnea raises your risk of depression, but it's much less likely that  depressioncauses obstructive sleep apnea. This is according to ResearchTrusted Source.

Significant depression with a seasonal pattern.

Often referred to as seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression, this illness is characterized by depressive symptoms that intensify at specific periods of the year. Because there is less sunlight in the winter, seasonal depression typically strikes during the winter, but it can also affect certain people in the summer.

Seasonal depression can alter sleep patterns because it affects the circadian rhythm at specific periods of the year when there is more or less sunlight.

Because of variations in sunshine exposure, people with seasonal depression may sleep more during the winter or experience difficulty falling asleep during the summer.

How to manage your depression while sleeping better.

Your sleep patterns may change or be badly impacted by depression, but there are strategies to help manage this.

Continue with a routine.

Maintaining a regular sleep routine can help you train both your body and mind. Making every effort to develop sleep-promoting habits may help lessen the symptoms of depression brought on by or exacerbated by erratic sleep patterns.

Not sure how to improve your sleep schedule? Here are some suggestions:

• Decide on a bedtime that is convenient for you and try your best to keep to it.
• Pour yourself some herbal tea. Research has shown that chamomile is a reliable source of restful sleep.
• Engage in a body scan, breathing technique, or meditation for five minutes.
• Go through a single chapter of the book you've been intending to start.
• To assist you in transitioning into a sleep state as you get ready for bed, play some relaxing music.

Steer clear of screens.

According to ResearchTrusted Source, we may find it more difficult to go to sleep at night due to the blue light emitted by the screens on our phones, tablets, and TVs.

This is because blue light can inhibit the generation of melatonin, a crucial hormone that promotes restful sleep.

Move frequently.

Going outside or to the gym seems to be considerably difficult when you're depressed. However, going for an hour at the gym or running at a high intensity isn't necessarily required to get the benefits of exercise, such as improved sleep.

The finest workout is the movement you can perform is an excellent exercise concept. This implies that it's probably a wonderful idea to take a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood if that's what you can manage.

Other strategies to begin going are as follows:

• putting on your preferred music and allowing your body to flow with it organically.
• deciding which space in your home needs organizing or cleaning.
• cycling to a favorite location, such as a park or coffee shop.

Let's review.
Depression and sleep have a complicated relationship. In certain cases, depression can lead to abnormal sleep patterns; in others, getting poor-quality sleep increases your risk of developing depression in the future.

You likely feel like you should be sleeping better if you're depressed. Finding depression assistance, whether you choose therapy, medication, or a self-care strategy, could also help you feel better rested and less symptomatic in addition to selecting sleep habits that suit you