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Overcoming Insomnia and Depression

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Insomnia and Depression

It is normal to feel sad once in a while. It is a normal emotional feeling that happens to a person that is not a cause of significant concern. However, whenever a person feels a persistent feeling of being down, sad and miserable, it can be a feeling of more than being normally sad. It can be a sign of depression, an emotional state that could not be taken lightly. Depression affects about 20 millions of Americans and can cause other disorders affecting sleep like insomnia. Sleep disturbances are very common among depressed individuals. Insomnia is in fact present in 80% of individuals with depression and is considered as a hallmark of many mood disorders.

Relationship betdiween insomnia and depression

The relationship between insomnia and depression is somehow a bit complex. In some cases, insomnia is more than just a symptom of depression. It can be a primary disorder affecting mood resulting in depression and not the other way around. But in most instances, insomnia and depression are almost present together in many affective and mood disorders and it is often difficult to identify which between the two is the primary disorder and merely a symptom.

Insomnia is characterized by the difficulty of falling asleep or staying asleep. Individuals with insomnia report that they find it difficult of falling asleep while others complain that they can easily fall asleep but with frequent awakening in the early morning. Some individuals report feeling depressed prior to their insomnia while others already experienced sleep problems before feeling a depression. Studies revealed that people who have insomnia have tenfold risks of getting a depression. This correlates the relationship between the depression and sleep disorders like insomnia.

Sleep disorder like insomnia results in sleep deprivation. As a result, the individual tends to experience frequent daytime sleepiness. Consequently, this prevents them to become productive throughout the day and unable to accomplish anything which results in the feeling of depression. Evidence has shown that individuals who experience both sleep maintenance and sleep onset insomnia are at higher risk of developing depression.

Causes of insomnia and depression

The causes of insomnia and depression may be the same or similar. It can be attributed to causes involving life events that may be transitional such as the death of a loved one, loss, divorce, unemployment or job loss, social isolation, relationships, personal conflicts and substance abuse. The presence of a medical condition can also result in the symptoms of insomnia and depression such as hypothyroidism, cancer, long term pain and hypoglycemia. Inherited genes also play a role in depression. A family history of bipolar disorder and other forms of major depression makes an individual vulnerable to depression. Medical researchers often find it difficult to point out the exact causes of insomnia and depression because it may involve a complex set of causes that are overlapping in symptoms. In many cases, improper diagnosis occurs because of the overlapping of one condition to another that cause the depression and insomnia.

Who are at risk of insomnia and depression?

Insomnia and depression can affect both the adult and young population. Among children, depression occurs indirectly and it is often diagnosed late as the child becomes of maturity age. Children who are depressed show changes in their eating and sleep patterns and changes in mood and temperament also take place. Younger children often show some headache and chronic stomach aches when depressed, but parents often mistaken it as a simple medical condition without considering depression as an underlying cause. As the child reaches adolescence, sleep disturbances become apparent resulting in the lack of interest of engaging in activities during the day and with the inclination to substance abuse or social isolation.

Both children and adolescents with depression are at higher risk of experiencing both hypersomnia, which is an excessive sleepiness and insomnia. Other risks involved with this population are weight loss and anhedonia, a condition with the inability to feel pleasure. Among adolescents who feel depressed, about 73% reported to have interrupted sleep or inability to sleep enough. Among children between the age of 11 and 17, there is a strong association of depression to sleep and mood disorders.

Older adults and women are at higher risks of depression and insomnia. Women usually feel depression due to hormonal changes during their menstrual period and menopause that increases the likelihood of sleeping problem and depression to occur. The adult population is more susceptible to insomnia and depression due to the presence of an existing medical condition or illness that cause them to develop depression and insomnia.

Coping strategies to overcome insomnia and depression

Because depression and sleep disorder like insomnia are intimately related, it is necessary to know different coping mechanisms to relieve the problem. Most of the time, relieving insomnia can help relieve depression and vice versa. The following are coping strategies that will help you overcome both insomnia and depression.

1.       Establish a consistent sleeping schedule

Understand your body and the number of hours of sleep that make you feel rested. Some individuals feel comfortable in getting an 8 hour of sleep at night while others may take only 6 hours of sleep but feel alright during the day. Every individual has their own comfort zone of sleep patterns and it is important for you to determine yours.  Try to establish your own sleeping pattern and make it a regular schedule. Sleeping at different hours at night can result in an irregular sleep pattern while establishing your own regular bed time will help the body cope and learn to make the body rest during those established hours of sleep. The body's circadian rhythm, also called as the body clock, will function better and you will feel sleepy almost at the same hour at night and wake up at almost the same time every day.

Lifestyle changes

Your activities can influence your sleeping behavior and you may need to review what activities are causing you a lot of stress that prevents you from getting a good night's sleep. If you have been drinking too much caffeine during the day, it can cause your body to be physically and mentally alert that prevents you from feeling sleepy. As a stimulant, caffeine is not good to take during the late afternoon as it can prevent you from getting a good sleep during bed time. Alcohol and nicotine have the same stimulating effect as caffeine in the body, thus you should avoid them if you want to get a better sleep at night.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is helpful in treating depression and insomnia. What the therapy aims to provide is to help a person overcome their negative thoughts that are causing their insomnia and depression. It involves changing negative thoughts and habits into positive ones. The person learns to replace maladaptive behaviors into positive ones. It may also include some lifestyle changes to optimize the results of the treatment.

4.       Social support

Social support plays an important role in relieving depression. It becomes easier to cope with stress and depression whenever you are surrounded by positive people who understands your condition and are willing to help reinforce positivities in your life. Consequently, depression is easier to handle which enables one to enjoy more peaceful sleep at night.

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