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Sleep and Depression: What’s the Connection?

Modified on October 29, 2020 at 11:05 PM

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Those who have had any experience with a depressive disorder know that sleep and depression have a tenuous relationship. 

You’d imagine that feeling low would allow you to sleep easier, but that’s often not the case. On the flip side, you might have also noticed that depression kept you in bed for too long and forced you to sleep more than you normally would. 

We’re going to explore the relationship in this article, giving you some insight into how you might be able to improve your sleep and your symptoms of depression. It’s a complicated issue, and there’s no quick fix but some of the ideas below could provide some help. 

Let’s get started.

The Relationship Between Sleep and Depression

We should start out by taking a look at what depression actually is. 

All of us feel sad or helpless from time to time. Sadness is a natural emotion that should make an appearance in your life whenever the circumstances warrant it. Sometimes, that sadness lingers for a little longer than we’d like it to, but many people are able to recover and feel themselves after a short amount of time. 

Depression, on the other hand, comes in and lingers. It often sticks around for years and manifests itself in different ways throughout a person’s life. Not only does depression cause a person’s general mental state to plummet, but it also comes packed with psychological distress, confusion, and a heavy blow to a person’s self-worth. 

The clinical definition of depression states that a person must feel this way for two or more weeks nearly every day and for most of the day in order to have a depressive disorder. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that depression isn’t always evident in a person. A person could be clinically depressed and fail to acknowledge it. It makes sense, too, considering nobody wants to be clinically depressed and the reality can be too much to face at times. 

Further, there isn’t always a clear answer to why a person is depressed. Depression can be inherited, it can come from serious trauma, or it might grow out of unsatisfactory circumstances. 

Where Does Sleep Factor In?

The quality of a person’s sleep has a direct relationship to their mood. The better sleep you get, the more able you are to function and interact with the world in a meaningful way. Some people can run on very little sleep, others cannot. 

Sleep doesn’t often cause depression, though. More often, poor sleep over time can cause a person’s life to develop in ways that aren’t ideal. Those factors, along with the fact that the person isn’t resting enough, can generate depressive symptoms and lead to depression. 

To make things worse, depression has a clever way of keeping you in bed. Hopelessness, sadness, and lack of energy can keep you lying in the same place for days at a time. Most people tend to nap throughout the day when they’re lying in bed. 

Those naps, along with the fact that your body isn’t using much energy, can throw a large wrench in your sleep cycle. Shorter periods of sleep aren’t as restful, and the sleep that you get when the night comes around isn’t as deep. 

Psychological Stress and Sleep

It’s also important to remember that those feelings of sadness come along with thoughts to match. Depression can cause a person to question their self-worth, come up with clever explanations as to why they don’t deserve to be happy, and produce a lot of anxiety. 

The anxiety that pairs with depression can be debilitating. In a lot of cases, it evolves into a separate anxiety disorder that also has to be addressed. 

Everyone has had a night or two that preceded a big meeting or event. When you’re trying to sleep before an important day, the nerves can keep you riled up for hours and limit your sleep. The same idea can apply to those with depression. 

Anxious and depressive thoughts can increase your heart rate, keep you awake, and prevent you from sleeping at all. 

As you can see, depression attacks a person’s sleep in multiple ways. On one hand, depression can keep you up at night and prevent you from sleeping. The other side forces a person to sleep too much and prevents them from getting restful sleep. 

Let’s take a look at some of the ways that a person can try to combat their depression by improving sleep. 

Methods of Improving Sleep

Keep in mind that the following methods might be tough to implement if you’re currently experiencing depression. 

If you try out some of the ideas below and find that your illness is making it a lot harder than you think it should be, give yourself a little slack. Try to implement one of the ideas once a week and see if you experience any benefit. 

Over time, you might find that your sleep improves and you’re better able to add beneficial things into your routine. 

1. Get Out Of The Bed

Try to get out of your bed if you’re able. Laying in bed all day is certain to bring on a nap or two.

You don’t have to get out and do anything too ambitious, but just try to spend time in different rooms or explore different activities around the house. If you’re not lying in bed, you’ll be able to get some sleep when you finally lie down. 

2. Exercise a Few Hours Before Bedtime

A big piece of depression’s relationship with sleep is that it causes a person to be lethargic. 

We’re built to use energy throughout the day, get tired, and rest easier because of it. Even a sedentary lifestyle forces a person to get up and move around here and there to expend some energy. Unfortunately, depression really blocks that process up and leaves you doing almost nothing. 

If you can, try to do some pushups or situps a few hours before you go to sleep. Working out right before bed can actually wake you up and cause more problems. A few hours’ time will give your body enough time to work through the endorphins and slow your heart rate. 

You’ll be left feeling a little sleepier than normal and you might be able to drift off to sleep. 

3. Try Sleep Supplements

Supplements are a great way to reset your circadian rhythms and finally rest easy. 

A common supplement is melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that’s naturally produced in the body when it’s time to go to bed. Typically, this means that your body starts releasing the hormone when it gets dark or a person is entering their normal phase of sleep. 

If you’re awake at odd hours and sleeping sporadically throughout the day, odds are that your circadian rhythm is thrown off and you’re not producing proper amounts of melatonin. 

Sleep supplements are useful if you’re in that chaotic sleep situation. Take a supplement an hour or so before you want to go to bed, and you’ll be hit with the melatonin and have a much easier time sleeping. 

It’s best to use melatonin only as long as you need it to get back into your cycle, though. It might take a week or two for things to so you can get a better night’s rest, but prolonged use can have adverse effects on your hormone production. 

4. Consider Counseling

If your depression is keeping you awake at night and you’re not sure what to do about it, counseling could be your best option. Insurance can be a tricky issue when it comes to seeking help. 

Fortunately, most communities have some affordable resources for individuals experiencing mental health issues. A nice part of this is that counselors aren’t always better when they’re more expensive. 

In fact, those who are looking to help with less compensation might even be more altruistic and interested in helping. Regardless of how you get counseling, it’s an important way to improve your sleep. 

The anxious and troublesome thoughts you’re experiencing aren’t permanent. A counselor can explore ways to reduce their intensity and even solve the core issues that are causing them. 

Further, your depression might get significantly better with counseling and you’ll start to see improvements throughout your whole life. You could start getting better sleep, managing your thoughts more kindly, and get back on the horse and revisit normal life. 

We understand that the options above might not be ideal for you. The important thing to remember is that there are a number of ways to try and ease your depression. It’s a disorder that has effective treatments, and a lot of people have beaten their depression. 

Want to Feel Better?

Sleep and depression aren’t the only things holding people back. Life is filled with unexpected turns, feelings, moods, and more. We’re here to help you set yourself up in the best way possible. 

If you need ideas on ways to improve your nutrition, health, and happiness, explore our site for the information you’re looking for. 

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Posted By The Fashionable Housewife
on October 28, 2020 at 3:04 PM
Filed Under: Health & Fitness
Tagged With: depression, post-partum depression, postpartum depression, sleep, sleep habits, sleep problems, sleep routine, sleep vitamins, sleeping, Sugarbear

About The Fashionable Housewife

Sarah-Jean Ballard is the Editor in Chief of The Fashionable Housewife blog and Founder of Fashionable Media. Married to a sexy Molecular Biologist, housewife, mom to 5, homeschooler, Certified Personal Nutritionist and entrepreneur who's mission is to help moms just like you look and feel GREAT! Other interests include dancing, yoga, positive intactivism, natural birth and breastfeeding support, babywearing, paleo & gluten-free cooking, and promoting an overall healthy lifestyle to all.

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You do not find a happy life. You make it. 

That’s the biggest lesson that grief has taught me. If I just wait around to be happy again, I’ll die sad. 

You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

#choosehappy #joyinthejourney #griefjourney #healingfromtrauma
8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favor 8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favorite. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, @daeinexplains 🥰

The last 20 years with you have been my favorite years on this earth. ❤️ 

If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

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This little guy always asks to help when he sees me cleaning the house, washing the floors, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher. That’s what I love about Montessori parenting - it allows kids to do  big jobs and in turn makes them eager to help! 

He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

#lovevery #loveverytoddler #loveverypartner #montessoriathome #montessoriplayroom #montessoritoddler
Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hol Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hole. 

Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
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The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

#leatherbooties #enjoiya #italianshoes #realmomstyle #momstyle #momstyletips
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In an instant, my baby was gone and there was nothing I could do to change that. 

It doesn't matter how much time passes or what else happens in life, I will always miss him. My heart with always long for my baby. 

Those who haven't experienced loss tell you that "Don’t worry! Things will get better, just focus on the positive!" but people who actually know this grief and what it actually feels like to lose a baby, won’t tell you that. They know this hard road. They understand that unfortunately you don't just “get over it.” 

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You do not find a happy life. You make it. 

That’s the biggest lesson that grief has taught me. If I just wait around to be happy again, I’ll die sad. 

You don’t get through grief and come out the other side. That’s not how it works. You learn how to grow around it like a tree grows around a rock that’s in the way. You don’t wait for the rock to move. Cause it’s not gonna. 

Choose happy. And then make it happen. 

#choosehappy #joyinthejourney #griefjourney #healingfromtrauma
8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favor 8 billion smiles in the world, but his is my favorite. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, @daeinexplains 🥰

The last 20 years with you have been my favorite years on this earth. ❤️ 

If I did anything right in my life, it was when I decided to give my heart to you.  You are my best friend, my soul mate, my better half, my rock, my everything. 

I love you.

#couplegoals #marriedlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #weddingday #marriagegoals #yourestilltheone
Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍ Kids love helping if you just let them!💁🏼‍♀️

This little guy always asks to help when he sees me cleaning the house, washing the floors, doing laundry, or emptying the dishwasher. That’s what I love about Montessori parenting - it allows kids to do  big jobs and in turn makes them eager to help! 

He was over the moon when we gave him the @lovevery floor mop that actually works! He uses it daily now. The mopping pad is machine washable and you can refill the fluid container on it. I usually just do water and a drop of essential oils because he loves it when everything smells clean! 😜 

Definitely recommend! If you want to grab this mop for your little helper, it’s in the Storyteller Play Kit from Lovevery for 3 year olds. 

LlNK is in my bio to get FREE shipping! 💃🏼

#lovevery #loveverytoddler #loveverypartner #montessoriathome #montessoriplayroom #montessoritoddler
Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hol Stop trying to fit your square self in a round hole. 

Sometimes we outgrown relationships. Sometimes we realize someone else isn’t a good influence on our lives. Sometimes we realize we aren’t a good influence for someone else. Sometimes we need to let things go that aren’t good for us in order to grow. And that’s ok. 

Stop trying to sit at a table you are no longer welcome at. Just be yourself, focus on God, love your family and friends, and the right people will gravitate to you. ✌🏻 

#raisingsaints #momlife #motherhoodunplugged #selflovejourney #growingpains #selfcaresunday
When your toaster breaks from a power surge you ta When your toaster breaks from a power surge you take that as a sign that it’s time to upgrade! 🤪

It wasn’t hard to pick a new 4 slice toaster. As soon as I saw this one from @haden_usa I added it to my cart. I bought it from @lordandtaylor because it had the fastest shipping and I didn’t want to wait! 

No fancy electronics, screens, or extra features we don’t need. Just simple, straight forward functions and perfect results everytime. Plus it matches all my @cafeappliances too! 😂👍🏻

What do you think of this 4 slice toaster?! 

#toasters #kitchenappliances #kitchendesign #kitchendecor #whitekitchen #farmhousekitchen #farmhousestyle #whiteappliances
I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @en I’m obsessed with these leather booties from @enjoiya! 💃🏼 

The “Steffi” in green are the perfect boots for ushering in spring weather with their delicious vintage leather and worn-in look right out of the box. I love the chunky lug soles and inside zippers to get them on and off easily. 

These are the boots you’ll want to wear again and again. And again. 

Use my coupon code BALLARD20 to get 20% off your order! Find them on www.enjoiya.com

#leatherbooties #enjoiya #italianshoes #realmomstyle #momstyle #momstyletips
All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with All the poop shoveling doesn’t seem so bad with the prices of eggs right now! 🤪 🐔 🥚 

Guess it’s ok to be a crazy chicken lady and have a homestead now! 🤣

#momlife #crazychickenlady #homesteadlife
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