Sleep and depression

[anxious_about_everything]

Hi Community,

I have been suffering from poor sleep for years. Recently I have been diagnosed with depression and told that my sleep issues are as a result of the depression. I was also diagnosed with sleep apnoea which is well controlled with CPAP. Has anyone else been through this? Is it possible to have a decent/restful nights sleep with depression? I feel like a zombie and the depression is getting hard to handle. Only 72 hours until my first psychiatrist session - not that i'm counting!!

[Bodey294]

Dear anxious_about_everything,

I can relate to a degree of how you are feeling as I was suffering from major depression only a few months ago. Once I sort out help I came to realise that sleep is a big factor that impacted my mental health. I know now a few practical tips that may work for you. Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) is where you contract parts of your muscles each for 10 seconds then relax. You do this for your toes, feet, legs chest and do all of your body until you reach your head. This type of method can help your physically relax aiding sleep. Deep breathing, where you breathe in through your nose for 10 seconds then out through you mouth for 10 seconds. Sleeping medication can help but see your GP or a pharmacist first. Exercise can really impact your sleeping quality as well so perhaps go for a jog or walk even for 20 minutes each day. The techniques I mentioned above I hope are practical enough for you to test out and use until your until your next appointment with your psychiatrist.

I hope this helped and sincerely wish you all the best.... you are never alone

-Bodey

[blondguy]

Hello anxious_about_everything and welcome to the forums

You are not on your own with depression and it does get better with regular therapy. You are spot on, it can mess with your sleep as you are mentally tired.I understand your situation as was diagnosed with depression in 1998.

Bodey has some excellent advice above. I echo his thoughts about how vital a good nights sleep is where recovery is concerned. If you are physically tired before bed then the chances of a better sleep are significantly increased. Subject to your Gp's opinion there are some mild calming meds that can also assist in getting a great sleep too.

Also a small tip for you...Much research has been done recently on using an ipad or cell phone prior to going to bed. These colorful pixels and screen activity can over stimulate the brains thought processes giving you a shallow sleep pattern. Even 30 minutes before bed is a good time to turn these screens off.

Congrats for booking in with your psychiatrist..always a great healer to able to have a really good vent. Depression is the same as a physical illness...a broken limb...an infection...hypertension.. diabetes..we see a doc for those as well as depression. Just another way of looking at depression.

Kind Thoughts to you and please post back

We are here for you

Paul

[Clues_Of_Blue]

To pick up where I left off, there are a bunch of physical factors in getting good sleep. I've (sadly) had to cut back on caffeine. Two to three cups of coffee a day (kept to the starting end of your day), and I do feel better for it. I don't have quite the crash in energy and mood I was getting on four or more cups, and not having a big downer at the end of the day definitely helps with sleep.

Also, I agree with Paul about electronic gizmos. There has been a lot of research on how they interfere with sleep. It's not just mental stimulation, it's the kind of light they emit (blue spectrum) which messes with the body's circadian rhythms, making it think it's time to wake up instead of go to sleep. I've been experimenting a lot with light in helping me with sleep, and it's been a huge positive factor. I start turning down lights an hour or two before I go to bed, warm lamps or candles, just to get the feeling of it actually being night. I also start work before the sun comes up, so I now have a fairly bright lamp on a timer that turns on a bit before I have to be up, and I'm finding I'm waking up a lot less groggy and down than I was before. There are dawn simulators which are like alarm clocks but with light, which bring the light levels up gradually and wake you up that way (even phone apps that do that), but they're hellishly expensive and the timer has been pretty good, for me.

Another thing I've found hugely helpful is sound. I downloaded an app (called Nature Sounds) that is free, and does just what it sounds like. It has a bunch of scenes to choose from (rain, thunder, waves, waterfall, etc.) that I'll choose from to play at night to calm me down if I'm stressed and just having some sort of white noise there helps a lot with blocking out unhelpful thinking. It's got bird song, too, which I use as an alarm for the morning, and that's been great for waking up in a better mood.

I could go on endlessly, really, because I've had such a fight on my hands with sleep, and done stupid amounts of research into what to do about it. I hope my advice is of some help.

[Clues_Of_Blue]

Er, I put up another post first, but it seems to have got lost in the ether. May still turn up later. Suffice it to say, I have plenty more advice, if you want it.

[anxious_about_everything]

Bobey,

Sincere thanks for your advice. It's good to know that someone has gone through the same as I am now. I will give the PMR a go tonight and see how I go. I would imagine it's something i'm going to need to practice. I have been taking sleeping tablets for some time but I am starting to believe that this is causing worsening of the depression. I'd like to try something more natural as you have suggested.

[anxious_about_everything]

thanks blondguy. I found your advice very useful. Thanks for your reply and support. it's comforting to know others have gone through this too

[anxious_about_everything]

thanks Blue's Clues.

Good thought re caffeine. I am very sensitive to caffeine so I try to avoid it where possible. If I do have it I have it in the early morning and never after midday.

I am careful about the electronic devices and even go to the extent of leaving my electronic device at the other side of the bedroom so I'm not tempted to take a peek during the night. I like your idea of an app with nature sounds. It was raining here last night and I found that very soothing.

At this point i'm prepared to try anything and really appreciate your advice and time i'm replying to me. I'd be interested in any other advice you can give, i'll report back after my appointment on Wednesday.

[gloria10]

Hi,

I can relate to not sleeping well with depression...I often lay awake late at night with my mind wondering. I have found recently having some soothing music or even a relaxing tea (caffeine free) helps in the evening. Also finding some time to wind down before going to bed, like watching a relaxing program or reading.

It does improve but its good you're going to get some advice, a psychiatrist will be able to provide you with some positive options.

All the best!

Gloria10

[topsy_]

Hi anxious,

Just a quick note re your sleeping tablets. If they are benzodiazepines they can indeed make depression worse IF you have been on them a long time. I was told by my doctors that they are addictive & when used for a long time you need higher & higher doses to achieve the same original effect. It just might be worth checking with your GP.

Take care, Lyn.