How are chronic insomnia and depression related?

Depression is often accompanied by insomnia, difficulty sleeping and conversely, prolonged insomnia is also a leading cause of depression. Prolonged insomnia and depression have a close relationship, if not treated quickly, it will lead to many dangerous complications for the health, spirit and life of the patient.

The link between chronic insomnia and depression

Prolonged insomnia and depression are both dangerous syndromes with a very high prevalence today. The causes between these two diseases also have similarities, such as thinking, stress, anxiety, lack of exercise or less exposure to sunlight. Prolonged insomnia and depression are closely linked and cause a lot of effects on physical and mental health.

persistent insomnia and depression

Chronic insomnia and depression are closely linked

It is clear that depression and persistent insomnia are symptoms or progressions of each other. People with insomnia make the brain work more and more slowly, mentally weak, tired, lack of alertness, easily become bored, so they often suffer from depression after a long time. Meanwhile, due to overthinking, bad emotions keep going on in the mind, making it difficult for depressed people to sleep, not sleep, dreamy sleep or very easy to have nightmares, so the quality of sleep is very poor. was also severely reduced.

Statistics at the Ho Chi Minh City Psychiatric Hospital show that chronic insomnia is often accompanied by psychological and psychiatric problems. People with persistent insomnia are 10 times more likely to become depressed than the general population.

In contrast, the quality of sleep in depressed people is also very poor. In 97% of patients with sleep disorders when depressive, up to 58% of people cannot sleep, 59% of people often wake up in the middle, 61% of people wake up at 3-4 am and cannot sleep. fell asleep and became extremely alert.

According to Olivia Arezzolo, a sleep specialist in Sydney, Australia, up to 97% of people with depression have a sleep disorder. Because they can’t sleep, they have a lot of time to think about the bad things that make the condition worse, the risk of suicide is higher. On the other hand, if people with depression during treatment or after finishing treatment still often have prolonged insomnia, the risk of relapse is still very high.

According to scientists, in the past, insomnia was only considered as a symptom of psychological problems such as depression or anxiety disorders, but now it has been shown that insomnia syndrome often overlaps. with psychological problems. Thus, the treatment of persistent insomnia plays a definite role in the treatment of depression.

The link between prolonged insomnia and depression may be due to the following factors

  • Lack of sleep reduces the brain’s production of serotonin – a hormone responsible for regulating mood, anxiety, sleep, appetite, body temperature. Studies have also shown that people with depression often have deficiencies in neurotransmitters such as serotonin.
  • Insomnia also disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters, increasing other stress hormones that increase feelings of depression, irritability, hopelessness, loss of concentration, and memory loss.
  • Common factors can all influence and cause depression or anxiety such as obsessions, traumatic events from the past, health problems, anxiety about the future, substance abuse, stress, and anxiety. great force from work or study..

Research has also shown that people with persistent insomnia and depression spend more time in REM sleep than in deep sleep stages. Therefore, both of these subjects will experience conditions such as being easily startled to wake up, prone to nightmares, and dreaming, if startled, it is difficult to fall back to sleep.

People with depression and long-term insomnia also tend to live in the “darkness”. Because they can’t sleep at night, they often sleep during the day, closing the door, closing the curtain, not wanting to go out or communicate with anyone. This will contribute to the exacerbation of both of these syndromes.

It can be said that prolonged insomnia and depression have a vicious circle relationship. Because insomnia can cause depression, depression makes insomnia worse. If the insomnia is not resolved, it can be difficult to get rid of the depression, and if the depression is still ongoing, the sleep disturbance may continue.

Consequences of prolonged insomnia and depression

Insomnia and depression, if they are two independent problems, are also extremely dangerous diseases, and of course, if they are co-infected, the danger level will increase dozens of times. Depression inherently makes us mentally depressed and desperate, but when we cannot sleep, it will make our brains sluggish, less alert, and increase negativity more seriously.

persistent insomnia and depression

Prolonged depression and insomnia increase the risk of suicide in many patients

When people cannot sleep at night, they often spend time reminiscing about the past and becoming more desperate about the present. Feelings of torment, guilt, and grief seem to intensify at night, but at this time it can be difficult to find people to share with. Perhaps that’s why so many people with depression tend to commit suicide at night.

The consequences that prolonged insomnia and depression cause not only take place on the mental side, but also involve the physical. When the body does not sleep enough 7-8 hours a day, it will not be able to recharge the body with enough energy, the organs cannot rest and regenerate, causing serious health decline. Hence both insomnia and depression cause the following health problems

  • Causes dizziness, lightheadedness, migraine, memory loss, increased risk of brain atrophy or alzheimer’s
  • Increased risk of stomach problems such as acid reflux, stomach ulcers
  • The body is always in a state of soreness, pain, increasing the risk of problems on the musculoskeletal system
  • Erectile dysfunction occurs in both men and women
  • Increased risk of obesity
  • Increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease
  • Increased risk of cancer and many other dangerous chronic diseases
  • Depression during pregnancy with insomnia may increase the risk of premature birth or other birth defects
  • There is a tendency to abuse stimulants that make health deterioration more serious

On the other hand, prolonged insomnia and depression also affect quality of life through aspects of work or relationships. Because depression has made patients negative, the loss of sleep will make them even more gloomy, always assessing and seeing problems in a bad light. They can become irritable, agitated, easily hurt others, making those around them more and more alienated because they do not want to be affected by these negative things.

In general, the consequences of prolonged insomnia and depression are extremely serious. Patients need to conduct parallel treatment of both problems at the same time to be able to eliminate the disease quickly, preventing the risk of bad situations that may appear.

Directions for the treatment of persistent insomnia and depression

It is difficult to determine whether a person suffers from depression first or insomnia first if they are found to have both conditions at the same time. In fact, the treatment direction of these two diseases is quite similar because they both aim to help the spirit to relax, relax, reduce stress and anxiety, will automatically sleep well, symptoms of depression, boredom Depression also quickly improved.

People who are experiencing this condition should quickly go to a hospital with a psychiatric specialty or meet with a psychologist for the most accurate examination and treatment.

Use supportive medicine

Sleep has a biological cycle of its own, so if you have been insomnia for a long time, it will be difficult to use natural remedies to go to bed early. Therefore, the use of some supportive drugs is very necessary. Similarly, depression is also a disease that increases feelings of despair, depression, and is prone to suicidal thoughts, so medication is also necessary to control these emotions.

persistent insomnia and depression

Using supportive drugs will help patients regain the biological sleep cycle

Certain medications are commonly used to eliminate these conditions such as:

  • Antidepressants: Often used tricyclic antidepressants (Amitriptylin), 4-cyclic antidepressants (Mirtazapine) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – SSRIs to reduce feelings of anxiety, sadness, and depression. , despair, eliminating suicidal thoughts in the patient
  • Sedatives: use benzodiazepines (Diazepam) or Non-benzodiazepines
  • Antipsychotics: Some antipsychotic drugs also have sleep-inducing effects such as Chlorpromazine, Olanzapine, Haloperidol, …)
  • Mood-modifying drugs: Oxcarbazepine, Gabapentin, Carbamazepine, etc. are also a group of drugs that help regulate mood and can stimulate drowsiness.
  • Supportive tablets: people with mild depression or isolated insomnia are often prescribed oral support pills to help stimulate sleep, enhance brain circulation such as Cavinton, Piracetam to improve symptoms instead of take sleeping pills

These drugs often bring about an extremely rapid improvement in sleep, patients can fall asleep after 30 minutes – 1 hour, while the effectiveness of treating depression has to wait for 3-4 weeks. However, these groups of drugs all cause a lot of side effects (except in the form of oral supplements, functional foods), so patients need to make sure to follow the instructions from the doctor.

It should be noted that the patient should create a habit of taking medicine and maintaining a bedtime in a certain time frame, it is best to go to bed before 11pm. This will help the body gradually regain biological sleep, stimulate sleep when it comes to this time frame soon after without using support drugs. However, it is still necessary to make sure to use all the medicine according to the doctor’s prescription, do not stop taking it as soon as it is effective.

Psychotherapy

With that said, the causes of depression and persistent insomnia are often related to psychological problems such as excessive stress, obsession with things from the past. These are definitely not something that can be eliminated by any medication, so psychotherapy is a great solution to deal with this condition.

Through talking with patients, psychologists can fully grasp the state and origin of depression and insomnia. With his professional experience and ability, the therapist will accurately explain to the patient about his or her condition, help them understand that it is not their fault, and relieve stress and problems. in my mind.

The therapist will bring the patient a sense of relaxation, a state of balance that they have long lost. Negative emotions, distorted perceptions are gradually eliminated and replaced with more positive positive emotions without any medication. When mentally healthy, the patient will reach the best state, feel better eat, sleep well, have a happier mood, so the symptoms of depression will automatically be relieved.

Studies have also shown that taking medication cannot completely eliminate depression, while if the patient responds well to psychotherapy, the ability to reverse the disease is very high, the risk of relapse is also high. very low because the patient has learned to control his emotions, soothe his soul for himself.

However, in the case of patients with severe insomnia, severe depression, the use of drugs is still extremely necessary to prevent shortening the maximum treatment time.

Improve sleep quality and depression at home

Depression and insomnia are mostly not inpatient treatment but are encouraged to go home so that they can be better cared for and improved. Time of home care and treatment is very important in early eradication of these syndromes, preventing worsening of the disease, and preventing the risk of disease re-occurrence later.

persistent insomnia and depression

Maintaining a stable sleep is essential for patients with insomnia and depression

In this article, we will specifically focus on methods to help improve and enhance sleep quality, thereby reversing depression. In fact, these measures are also applied to depressed patients because anyone can do them. Specifically

  • Practicing meditation before going to bed for 30-45 minutes can give you deep sleep, relax your mind, eliminate negative thoughts in people with depression. Meditation helps the mind return to the original source, regain balance, purify ugly thoughts, stimulate blood circulation stably, so it is very good for people who are having these psychological problems.
  • Bathing in warm water will help the whole body relax, blood circulation should also help you have a deeper and better sleep. However, you should limit bathing too late or instead of bathing you can choose to light your feet with a basin of warm herbal water.
  • Use simple aromatherapy. Patients can add a little chamomile essential oil, tea tree oil, menthol to bath, steam in the room. These scents will relax the nervous system, relax the whole body, so it is also extremely good for sleep and mind.
  • Wake up early, sunbathe and exercise. Vitamin D deficiency in natural sunlight, lack of exercise or sleeping too much during the day are also the leading causes of insomnia and depression.
  • Keep the bedroom space clean, quiet, avoid noise or electric lights from outside. If you are afraid of the dark, you can use a night light with soft light
  • Improve persistent insomnia and depression by staying away from blue light. Please leave your phone and computer, TV 1 hour before bedtime. During this time, try meditating, reading a good book, and getting ready for tomorrow to relax your mind.
  • Maintaining a daily exercise routine, especially yoga is also a good subject for people with depression or insomnia.
  • Avoid eating too late, the last meal should be finished before 7pm and snacks should also be prioritized
  • Absolutely avoid the use of alcohol, stimulants, alcoholic beverages. They only give the feeling that you were happy, sleeping well for a moment, but after waking up, the mood will be much worse.
  • Take a gentle walk before going to bed, breathing in the fresh air can help you sleep better and relax more
  • Waking up early in a certain time frame, do not nap too much will contribute to insomnia, especially for those who already have trouble sleeping.

Not only during treatment, but after treatment, patients should continue to maintain these habits to have a better sleep. Just get back to sleep in the right biological cycle for a while, you will see yourself better health, happier mood, more beautiful skin. In people with mild depression can also completely reverse the disease.

Preventing the risk of insomnia and depression

With the bad consequences that prolonged insomnia and depression bring, you need to have a way to prevent it as soon as possible. Changing a scientific, healthy, and positive lifestyle is the method that gives you the best quality of life, health and spirit that anyone should do right now.

  • Maintain a routine of going to bed and waking up at a set time. Instead of staying up late and getting up late, going to bed early and getting up early can help you increase your memory and solve tasks much better.
  • Maintain a daily exercise routine. If you are too busy, you can choose to walk or climb stairs instead.
  • Meditation or yoga are both subjects that can be done at home that are very good for your health and mind that you should practice
  • Keep a happy, optimistic spirit, get rid of all negative thoughts at the end of the day instead of letting it accumulate in your head. You can find friends to chat with, play games, journal, play sports or simply watch funny movies to recharge your happy vitamins.
  • Love and believe in yourself. Take the time to take care, beautify or reward yourself with worthy gifts even if it’s not an occasion
  • Clean and tidy the bedroom regularly to create the most comfortable space when going to sleep
  • Body massage, head massage is also a way to help you relax and unwind most effectively
  • Find new activities and joys to always have interest in life instead of wallowing in pressure or the past.
  • Improve insomnia immediately, should not let it last long. If exercise, going to bed early or aromatherapy doesn’t work, you can use functional sleep products instead of drugs. Although the products will not be harmful to health, they should still be limited as much as possible.

Prolonged insomnia and depression are closely linked, promoting the worsening of disease symptoms, so it should be eliminated soon. Having healthy living habits, maintaining a daily exercise routine and knowing how to relax your body and mind are the best methods to deal with this condition. Hope these shares have brought you a lot of useful information.

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