Depression: How Does Major Depression Affect Your Sleep?

Living with Major Depression is a complicated issue. Most people are aware of the psychological symptoms associated with this debilitating disease. However, there are physical symptoms also. Sleep disorders tend to plague depression sufferers.

Depression is one of the most frequent causes of insomnia (Difficulty with sleep) and hypersomnia (Sleeping too often). The question arises how does depression affect sleep?  Depression affects sleep in multiple ways. Everyone is different and there can be multiple causes of sleep disorders related to depression. Depression affects different areas of the brain, accounting for the different symptoms. Here are some points that everyone should know about how does depression affect sleep:

Many depression patients have trouble falling asleep. This can be the result of hyper-rumination (thinking too much).  People who suffer from this phenomenon cannot get certain ideas or problems out of their mind. And, night-time presents a particular problem. When it is quite and there are less distractions, the mind of the depressed continues to think about the issues that are bothering them. In addition, the anxiety of not getting enough sleep or worry about falling asleep can plague patients at night. This can further prevent the depressed patient from getting adequate sleep.

Another significant problem with depression related insomnia is the inability to stay asleep. There are many causes of this also. The mind stays active when sleeping and those with major depression and/or anxiety will have frequent awakenings and difficulty falling back to sleep. The use of anxiety medications, alcohol and drugs can make this problem worse.

Daytime sleepiness is often a symptom of depression. Those individuals that do not get adequate sleep at night, often find themselves falling asleep at inappropriate times. They also report difficulty completing tasks and having the energy to get through the day. Lack of restful sleep is thought to interfere with the ability to make rational decisions and can affect relationships negatively.

There is a “Chicken and egg” paradox with depression and sleep disorders. Depression causes sleep problems and lack of sleep often worsens depression. Patients need something to break the cycle of depression and sleep problems. Fortunately, Virginia Infusion Therapies can help. It is well known that Ketamine infusions is effective in treating major depression in 70% of cases. Virginia Infusions therapies has a patient focused, customized treatment plan for Major Depression. Above are the conditions that tells you how might depression affect your sleep.

If you would like more information on how Virginia Infusion Therapies can help, fill out the information below and one of our expert providers will help you get started.