How Depression Screws with Your Sleep

We all know sleep is important for energy, concentration, and motivation – especially when building a business. Unfortunately, quality sleep can sometimes be hit or miss for those of us living with depression. Sometimes we sleep too much, sometimes we sleep too little (or not at all), but a lot of the time, we're left tired and unenthusiastic about the day ahead of us. What's up with that?

Turns out, a lot is up with it.  Not only does depression cause poor sleep, but poor sleep can worsen depressive symptoms.  Read on to discover how sleep and depression screw with each other (and be sure to check out my next post on Tuesday to find out what to do about it!)

Depression’s Effect on Sleep
As you’ve probably guessed (and experienced) by now, depression can really mess with sleeping patterns.  While it’s a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario in regard to which causes which, there are high correlations between depression and insomnia (inability to sleep) and depression and hypersomnia (sleeping too much). (Source: National Sleep Foundation)
 
So why does depression make it so difficult for us to sleep normally?  While there are lots of physiological factors at play that are unique to each of us (think medications, medical history, genetics, etc.) here are a few common culprits:

• Neurotransmitters: Depression is associated with changes in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine which are also important for regulating energy levels, motivation, and sleep.
• Fatigue: Daytime tiredness is a hallmark symptom of depression and, as you may guess, very interconnected with sleep.   Fatigue can cause us to sleep excessively during the day resulting in insomnia at bedtime.  However, if we push too hard through our fatigue without rest, our bodies may try to recuperate that energy by sleeping for hours and hours at night.
• Night-time worrying: Negative thoughts are common in depression - and can seriously mess with sleep.  The most common type is absolutist or “all or nothing” thoughts which sound like: “I’ll never figure out QuickBooks” or “Nobody wants to hear what I have to say” or “Everyone else seems to have their businesses dialed in.” (Sound familiar?) These are the types of thoughts that drain your mental energy during the day and keep you awake at night resulting in – you guessed it! – crappy sleep. 
• Searching for refuge: Your bed can be a comfortable, safe place that provides a retreat away from the world when you’re not feeling your best.  At the same time, sleep can be a temporary escape from painful or overwhelming situations and emotions.  While retreating to your bed can be a powerful coping strategy, it can result in excessive sleeping or napping, throwing off your sleep/wake cycle and make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.
  
  

Sleep’s Effect on Mood
Lack of sleep also has some profound effects on our health and our moods.  Some consequences of poor sleep include:

• Increased stress levels
• Decreased concentration, focus, and memory
• Daytime sleepiness and brain fog
• Irritability and moodiness
• Decreased immunity

All of which can interfere with our ability to stay focused, consistent, and motivated in our lives and businesses! (Source: NHS) 

So now we know that sleep is super-duper important – not just for your mental health but for the healthy growth of your business – but what the heck can you do to get better sleep?  Find out in this blog post jam-packed with valuable healthy sleep tips! 

​And in the meantime, grab your copy of Sleep Tonight, Slay Tomorrow: The Ultimate Sleep Kit for Women Entrepreneurs with Depression below!