Midnight Depression??

ceceanilec88 · ‎06-07-2016

Hi guys,

So I've been getting this weird phenomena lately. Not really sure it actually happens to other people, I might just be making it up, but worth a shot in case someone else can explain it. It's not a secret that my depression is getting worse, but lately, maybe the past 2 weeks or so, it's been hitting the worst around and past midnight. I'm a night owl, so staying up past midnight isn't uncommon for me.

I'm fairly familiar with my depressive symptoms, and night times have never really been good for me. Over thinking usually occurs, and that for me means pointing out every failure that I've had in my life, no matter how small or how long ago. But not like this. It's worse than usual, especially on my boyfriend, whom I end up sending really dark messages to around 1130 every night. Usually, it's just over thinking, but it's not deathly thinking

Midnight depression might not be a thing, but it feels like it. Anyone else feeling the same or am I making it all up in my head?

beingbyrne · ‎06-07-2016

Hi there and welcome,

The only reason for this phenomena I can think of is that you suddenly have a drop in certain chemicals in your brain due to being over tired around that time every night.

Some people feel the lowest point in the morning after waking from sleep. Everyone is different.

I don't think you are making it up, but you can do something about this in order to avoid it or reduce the severity.

Try to meditate or practice mindfulness before you go to bed. or even gentle yoga exercise. anything which makes you focus on the present...or "Now"... basically try to be thoughtless as much as possible before bed time.

I hope this helped........Hugs

Reaperbird · ‎10-07-2016

Yep, I'm the same. My depression always hits me hardest at night. I think for me it's because it's when I finally slow down and stop doing things to prepare for sleep. Without any distractions, I end up a victim to my own negative thoughts and end up stressing myself out.

Being tired doesn't help either, I find it harder to rationalize and end up saying/doing really impulsive things, or catastophizing everything. I often end up in panic attacks or struggling with mood swings.

The best advice I have is trying to do something to occupy your thinking while you try to wind down at night. Maybe read a book or listen to music; anything that's relaxing and keeps your mind occupied until your ready to sleep.

Music_Freak · ‎10-07-2016

First thing in the morning and night time are the worst for me, but everyone has offered good suggestions.

I stare at my ceiling fan and have been known to count the holes in the blades to just empty my mind, but mindfulness/relaxation exercises are also good. I used to meditate (and have just started doing it again at night), that may work too. There's plenty of things on YouTube that might help

White_Rose · ‎10-07-2016

Dear Ceceanilec

Hello and welcome to Beyond Blue. I'm not sure I have any answers for you but I will tell you what happens to me. well at least what used to happen. I have panic attacks which invariably happen during the night. I wake up in a tizz and go through all the symptoms and get absolutely terrified. Then I started to have very bad dreams. Not sure if they came from the same source. I stopped taking the antidepressant for other reasons and my GP prescribed a different type of medication.

I take this at night. When I first took it I needed to be almost in bed, and for a while it was the last thing I did before switching of the light. I would go to sleep in nothing flat. After a while I found it did not work so quickly and I now take after my evening meal.

Sorry about the huge explanation. My point is that perhaps you need to talk to your doctor about how the AD works and if you need to take it at a different time or switch to a different AD. No idea if this really relates to your experience but maybe it's worth talking about with your doctor. The same medication works differently for different people. Different side effects or none, different length of time before meds kick in, smaller or large amounts for the AD to work effectively.

Different people have different reactions to meds, just as people have different reactions to eating a particular food items. I hope this is useful. Chat to your doctor.

Mary