Does fatigue make you depressed?

We have had so much going on lately and I don't think I'm getting enough sleep, however, I still take my meds regularly for ADD, but for some reason I feel like I'm slipping into a depression today and I can't put my finger on what is causing it--guess it could be a combination of things, but wow, I just want to crawl in bed and sleep for days, not to mention how weepy I feel. I usually snap out of it, but I'm having a hard time shaking it today. Anybody else feel like this at times?

Sleep deprivation can really play with your mind in a lot of ways. Try to catch up on that sleep and if you still feel the same way after you've rested up then it might be something else that's causing your depression. Watch yourself closely and if the depression lasts for an extended period of time then you should at least talk to a therapist. This could be situational depression because of your husband, but I noticed that you are making progress in that regard so maybe that's not it. Take care of yourself and keep us updated.

but I just wanted to mention to you that this backlash of depressed feelings in you is not really surprising.

Often after a crisis situation when it started to show signs of hope for resolution depression would strike me. I see it as letting the pressure out after holding it in for awhile. A good cry can help...

Just take care of yourself, get good sleep, and do things outside the house for YOU, as you mentioned in the thread about your hubby.

Also, the insecurity of knowing exactly when he will get his medication, and IF this time he will continue with them for a longer time than before can be heavy to bear in itself. (In my experience with similar situations)

All the best, and here is to hope for good times coming - for you, your husband, and the kids...

:hug:

DemEx

I think the figures are 90% of depressives can't sleep and don't want to eat. The other 10% can't get enough sleep and are driven to consume carbohydrates (it does raise seretonin levels slightly). I wish I'd realized I was depressed 40 pounds ago!

I went through a period a few years ago when I was chronically underslept. And I thought I was going through a serious depressive phase. But as soon as I was able to get enough sleep, I felt a lot better. It turns out it was my antidepressant that was waking me up in the middle of the night, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Since the medication was otherwise helping me, my doctor added an additional medication to help me sleep through the night.

Conversely, when I go through a serious depressive phase, I have very little energy or initiative to do anything, and I crave sleep. So it mimics fatigue in that way. It can be tricky to figure out what's happening. But if I am getting adequate amounts of sleep, and still feel that way, I know that it's probably the depression acting up. If I am not getting an adequate amount of sleep (at least 6-7 hours a night), I need to first rule out sleep deprivation as a possible cause.

here's some Pub med search results.

http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.sleepdep.html

For bipolars, the problem is much more complicated. Sleep deprivation can bring on a bout of hypomania- even when you're on a mood stabilizer- but especially if you're not. Then, the hypomania further deprives the body of sleep- sometimes (as in my case) for up to a couple of weeks.

While these can be very productive times- at first- they invariably turn sour as I grow irritable. This can be seen cyclically in my writing over the years on DU! LOL!

And then there's the inevitable crash....

Pdocs will tell you that one of the most important things in managing a bipolar or unipolar disorder is sleep hygiene- getting regular hours of sleep. It's not so much the fatigue that causes the brain changes- but disruption of the circadian rhythms.

so the best thing to is try to manage your time and activities around around that- although I'm hardly one to talk.

I have used sleep deprivation as a self-help technique in warding off depressive states in myself now that I am off medications. It works surprisingly well if you use it sparingly - like staying up almost all night for one night only.


But chronic sleep deprivation doesn't help at all IMO.

DemEx