Sleep and Depression

[chrispas93]

A friend of mine last year exhibited a very bizarre sleeping pattern. He was sleeping from 8pm in the evening until late night in the next day. There are experts who say that for those people who sleep too much than the normal sleeping hours, are suffering from depression. Has anyone experienced this? Or do you have firsthand scientific evidence to prove this claim?

 

[rz3300a]

I do not really have any scientific proof, but I am pretty sure it is well understood that strange sleeping patterns can be a sign of depression, or other issues as well. It makes sense, and I know that in my bouts with depression sometimes the only thing that feels enjoyable is sleep. With that, the socializing takes a hit and you start to lose contact and kind of resort to being alone. All of these combined are certainly signs that something is up, not necessarily wrong, but up. Interesting stuff, though, and thanks for sharing. I hope that your friend is okay, too.

 

[kelden]

What I really can tell is that sleeping too much shortens your lifespan. When I'm too anxious or mildly depressed, I used to sleep longer than 8 hours. I felt guilty for losing that amount of time in my life. But I eventually managed to control the amount of hours I sleep, and reduce it to a mere 6 hours.

 

[hades_leae]

I don't believe that for one second nor will I ever. I don't honestly believe that there are people who can actually stay sleep that long anyway. I have been in bed for almost 24 hours, but in that time I have woken up several times, just laid there probably for an hour day dreaming and then went back to sleep.


I'm not saying it's not possible, but I just look at it from a different perspective. Also it's not always depression because we do things that are just plain weird, or what we consider to be unnatural. I noticed that lots of actions these days are supposed to be directly derived from depression. Science doesn't have the answer to everything,

 

[Sue]

I find that when I am depressed I have a hard time sleeping. I may stay in my room and stay away from people because I don't want to be around anybody but I don't sleep a whole lot. I need to be alone and away from others. I have heard too that sleeping a lot could be a sign of depression. I guess everybody is affected differently when it comes to depression. Though it could be a sign it does not necessarily mean that the person is depressed.

 

[Alex]

Sleep is one of those things we all need, but it's hard to generalize whether it is related to depression, because some people are just heavy sleepers and others are light sleepers. It also depends on what work you do, where you live (city or rural) and when you eat at night. There are so many factors, but usually a lack or inability to sleep is related to stress, anxiety which can in turn lead to depression.


I doubt one can determine depression from the hours a person sleeps, but consider it a factor if there is disturbed sleep. My mother is on medication that makes her sleepy all of the time, so you never know the side effects of what someone is taking as well.

 

[Zzyli]

Excessive sleep can be a symptom of depression (although some people when depressed find it hard to sleep), but there are a lot of other factors which may lead to you sleeping a lot. There's a variety of medical conditions which will lead people to sleeping for extended periods, things like sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, thyroid disorders and so on. It can also be a side-effect from medications that you're taking or just related to your lifestyle patterns; 'sleep hygiene' (the practices you have surrounding your bed and getting ready for bed) can also affect how much you sleep and how well you sleep. I've had some investigations done into my sleep as despite my anxiety, I sleep a great deal and I would say to people in general that if you are experiencing an unusual sleep pattern (a lot more or less than usual or an unusual pattern) that it's worth having investigation done because there's so many factors which could be affecting your sleep. You can't say that the only likely cause of long sleep is depression or that all people with long sleep times are depressed.

I don't believe that for one second nor will I ever. I don't honestly believe that there are people who can actually stay sleep that long anyway. I have been in bed for almost 24 hours, but in that time I have woken up several times, just laid there probably for an hour day dreaming and then went back to sleep.

I have slept for over 18 hours straight if unusually tired (I tend to average around 10-12 hours a night), and know other people with sleep disorders who have shared that they can stay asleep for a whole weekend if very drained (go to bed on Friday afternoon and not do anything significant until Monday morning); only waking up for the toilet and to drink water. While this is not normal behaviour and should definitely be investigated as there's some reason behind it, it is within the realm of possibility.

 

[17emilyhalko]

I don't have much scientific proof of this, but I have heard that sleeping too much or too little could be a symptom of depression. In my personal experience, I don't have trouble with sleeping too much, but I have problems with not being able to sleep. It's honestly impossible to tell whether your friend is suffering from depression or not without any other symptoms, because oversleeping could indicate other problems as well, or could alternatively indicate that your friend just doesn't have very healthy habits. I remember when I was younger, I thought that I was cool staying awake until the wee hours in the summer mornings. I would stay awake every day until four or five in the morning and then wake up at two in the afternoon when friends would be knocking on my door. I simply didn't take care of my body, like many others.


If you'd like to read more on oversleeping and conditions that may be linked with it, you should read http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosie-osmun/oversleeping-the-effects-and-health-risks-of-sleeping-too-much_b_9092982.html by the Huffington Post. It's very informative.

 

[John Snort]

There are some people who can't sleep when they are depressed while there are others who will want to sleep all the time. The latter use sleeping as a coping mechanism. If you are asleep most of the day you have little time to wallow in misery which is why some even get themselves soporific drugs.

 

[janemariesayed]

I am not sure about the correct answer to your question as I think everyone experiences depression in a different way. I am suffering from depression and get up with the sunrise every day and go to bed about nine in the evening. I think the depression I have has not affected my sleep pattern whereas it may others.

 

[WorkAtHomeGal]

Well my sleeping has been pretty messed up since doing the garden. The reason for this though I don't entirely believe is me being depressed. Since doing this outside work I have felt good. I think it is just me being tired from the heat. One of my online gaming friends also has depression though and he does sleep for 9-12 hours a day... Sometimes less and doesn't do much but game so I think maybe in his case it is the depression. For me when I am really in the deep of depression sometimes I lay awake and once I sleep I am lucky to get 4 hours... Right now I am getting enough sleep but like I said working in the heat all day is what I think is doing it.

 

[pwarbi]

Sleeping too much or irregular sleeping patterns is definitely a tell tale sign that a person could be suffering from depression, and for a person to say its total rubbish, just shows to me that they have never suffered from depression in the first place and show a distinct lack of compassion to those who have. When you are depressed and sleep, you don't sleep as well as what you should do and while your body might physically get the right amount of sleep, it's your brain that doesn't get the right amount of rest it needs as it doesn't switch off like it should do. You get a restless sleep and often wake up more tired than hat you was before you went to sleep in the first place.


A lack of sleep or sleeping too much is one of the key symptoms of depression, and for those who think it isn't linked then I think they need to study a bit more into it and actually read about the subject before voicing an opinion, and an opinion that as no substance whatsoever.

 

[clair02]

I also find that whenever I'm feeling particularly depressed I tend to sleep a whole lot more. Plus my sleeping patterns become very irregular. I'd find myself up at four in the morning, sleepless and afraid, and then I have no energy during the day and all I want to do is sleep. I think that anyone who is depressed should find some tips, tricks or techniques that work to help them regulate their sleep habits because it does help with managing your feelings when you are getting the right amount of sleep at the right times. At least it works for me.

 

[djanx]

Well, I don't know what research says, but when I am stressed out, I tend to first feel sleepless and then I tend to get really groggy (when the stress takes its toll), so I dose off. At least that is how I used to do it. But, then I realized that sleep was an effect of depression, so i focused on removing depression. Also, the more you sleep, the better. Since, I can't sleep a lot due to work, I take naps.


I use an app called Pzizz to take naps. I read about it on wikihow or someplace. And it helps me take multiple power naps throughout the day and when I open my eyes i feel refreshed.

 

[kgord]

Depression and lack of sleep or too much sleep seem to go hand in hand. I take OTC meds at night to help with my sleep otherwise I would never be able to get the sleep I need. I usually manage to get enough but some days I will wake up and not be able to get back to sleep and that can be a real issue. If I am tired the next day from lack of sleep it doesn't allow me to get anything done that I need to do.

 

[Dove]

Well, my ex suffered from depression and he could barely sleep at night. There are meds for that, but he didn't like to take them because he felt numb. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and check our texts to see if he was online and engaged in conversation with him so he didn't feel alone. I just found about an app that works like omegle but with VoIP calls. I guess it could work if you need someone to talk to.

 

[Deeishere111]

I am not aware of any studies on this condition, but I had a friend who use to sleep like that. The main problem with her was that she was just plain exhausted. She worked hard taking care of her elderly parents, doing volunteer work and had a full-time job. We were able to go on a trip together out into the country. She went to bed early and didn't get up until late that evening. Her body needed to the rest.

 

[djanx]

Well there are a few studies on the connection between sleep and depression. The OP mentioned them briefly but didn't provide more detail. Its easily searchable though. I think sleep is extremely important and it generally helps cure all problems other than the ones caused by a lack of action. What I mean is that if you're depressed about a failed business or something, maybe you should work it off first.

 

[Zeesi]

Any abnormality in sleeping is a sign that something is wrong somewhere. That being said, maybe your friend was just tired. Did he sleep like that every night? Are you saying that he never really got up and did anything? He must have only done that once or twice because if one sleeps from 8PM until night the next day, that's basically sleeping 24 hours, right? Or close to it.


I slept for about 2 or 3 days one time, but I took medicine to do so. I had to get up and use the restroom, but other than that, I slept for days. I was going though a lot and just wanted to sleep and not be bothered with the things that were going on around me. I've done this a few times during my life so far, but I always have to take medication if I want to sleep that long.


So, I would say that in my experience, yes, being depressed can make a person want to sleep, however, just as some have written here, sometimes depression takes away sleep as well. It all depends on the person.

 

[listener1987]

I don't believe that for one second nor will I ever. I don't honestly believe that there are people who can actually stay sleep that long anyway. I have been in bed for almost 24 hours, but in that time I have woken up several times, just laid there probably for an hour day dreaming and then went back to sleep.
I'm not saying it's not possible, but I just look at it from a different perspective. Also it's not always depression because we do things that are just plain weird, or what we consider to be unnatural. I noticed that lots of actions these days are supposed to be directly derived from depression. Science doesn't have the answer to everything,

"I don't honestly believe that there are people who can actually stay sleep that long anyway." Let's be respectful of others' experiences. If you think they're exaggerating, it's still not kind to accuse them of it!