Does Depression Interfere with Our Sleeping Pattern?
Sleep is one of the most critical nutrients in our bodies. Yeah, you read it right. It is a nutrient because it is during sleep that our bodies undergo repair.
When we are not asleep, our bodies remain active. Therefore, they undergo a lot of wear and tear in different tissues. Now you understand why they need repair.
However, due to life anxieties, we are not usually able to create a consistent sleeping pattern. It could be because we have a lot of bills to pay, goals to achieve, a wanting job, or even being overcommitted to other obligations.
Other factors, such as depression also affect our sleeping patterns. The following are some of the ways that depression could interfere with how we sleep:
- Oversleeping
One of the significant signs of depression is withdrawal. It is a behavior you develop with time as your depression stage grow more intense.
In order to substitute the social space, you either overeat or oversleep. When you are not the eating type, you will tend to sleep more than usual. It is not a wonder for you to sleep for more than 18 hours when you are depressed.
The recommended sleeping hours for a healthy person ranges from 6hrs to 8hrs. Therefore, the moment you oversleep without due course such as fatigue or being sick, you could be having an unusual visitor: depression.
- Insomnia
It is an inverse of oversleeping. This condition deprives you sleep, and you will always sleep way too less than you should. Instead of sleeping, you will always find your mind busy thinking about things that are not constructive. You keep worrying too much.
At this point, you will always reach out for a sleeping pill. Your body is designed to sleep automatically when tired, or at the time you teach it to. Thus, having to take a sleeping pill to put you to sleep should be unheard.
Insomnia can make your body feel weak and sicky. Being sleepless does not allow your body to repair naturally. Instead, your tissues continue growing weary, and eventually, you fall sick.
- Irregular Movements During Sleep
There two types of sleep. One is when you sleep calm, no dreams, the blood pressure reduced, body temperatures are low, and the heartbeat is low.
The other type of sleep is when your eye movement is high, blood pressure is high, the heartbeat is strong, and your body is warm. It usually happens when you dream, and scientists say this type of sleep improves your cognitive abilities.
When you are depressed, you do not experience either. Instead, you get a combination of the two and do not occur systematically. One moment you are calm, then in a bit you are all sweating.
This form of sleep is not healthy and can even lead to severe conditions. When you experience mixed sleep, it is a perfect time to seek professional help. Try and control your levels of depression and even allow those close to you to help.
It is terrible when you cannot have a peaceful sleep because you are experiencing what feels like recurrent episodes.
Although sleeping problems caused by depression and vice versa are intertwined, it is essential for us not to ignore their signs. It is better to prevent them at an early stage rather than waiting for them to grow huge and cost us for the rest of our lives.