The Importance Of Sleep
Two new studies published in the journal Sleep have found a link between sleep duration and depression. “Healthy sleep is a necessity for physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” said American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. M. Safwan Badr. “This new research emphasizes that we can make an investment in our health by prioritizing sleep.”
The first study of 1,788 adult twins discovered a gene by environment interaction between self-reported sleep duration and depressive symptoms. According to researchers, the findings suggest that those who sleep shorter — or longer — than the normal eight or so hours a night increased the genetic risk for depressive symptoms. Among twins with a normal sleep duration of 7 to 8.9 hours per night, the total heritability of depressive symptoms was 27 percent, according to the researchers. The genetic influence increased to 53 percent among twins with a shorter sleep duration of just five hours a night and 49 percent among those who reported sleeping 10 hours a night.
“We were surprised that the heritability of depressive symptoms in twins with very short sleep was nearly twice the heritability in twins sleeping normal amounts of time,” said principal investigator Nathaniel Watson, M.D., associate professor of neurology and co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center in Seattle. “Both short and excessively long sleep durations appear to activate genes related to depressive symptoms.”
“The study’s findings suggest that optimizing sleep may be one way to maximize the effectiveness of treatments for depression, such as psychotherapy,” he said. Another study of 4,175 children between the ages of 11 and 17 found that sleeping six hours or less a night increases the risk for major depression, which in turn increases the risk for decreased sleep among adolescents.
“These results are important because they suggest that sleep deprivation may be a precursor for major depression in adolescents, occurring before other symptoms of major depression and additional mood disorders,” said principal investigator Robert E. Roberts, Ph.D., professor of behavioral sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas.
“Questions on sleep disturbance and hours of sleep should be part of the medical history of adolescents to ascertain risk.”
The first study of 1,788 adult twins discovered a gene by environment interaction between self-reported sleep duration and depressive symptoms. According to researchers, the findings suggest that those who sleep shorter — or longer — than the normal eight or so hours a night increased the genetic risk for depressive symptoms. Among twins with a normal sleep duration of 7 to 8.9 hours per night, the total heritability of depressive symptoms was 27 percent, according to the researchers. The genetic influence increased to 53 percent among twins with a shorter sleep duration of just five hours a night and 49 percent among those who reported sleeping 10 hours a night.
“We were surprised that the heritability of depressive symptoms in twins with very short sleep was nearly twice the heritability in twins sleeping normal amounts of time,” said principal investigator Nathaniel Watson, M.D., associate professor of neurology and co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center in Seattle. “Both short and excessively long sleep durations appear to activate genes related to depressive symptoms.”
“The study’s findings suggest that optimizing sleep may be one way to maximize the effectiveness of treatments for depression, such as psychotherapy,” he said. Another study of 4,175 children between the ages of 11 and 17 found that sleeping six hours or less a night increases the risk for major depression, which in turn increases the risk for decreased sleep among adolescents.
“These results are important because they suggest that sleep deprivation may be a precursor for major depression in adolescents, occurring before other symptoms of major depression and additional mood disorders,” said principal investigator Robert E. Roberts, Ph.D., professor of behavioral sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas.
“Questions on sleep disturbance and hours of sleep should be part of the medical history of adolescents to ascertain risk.”
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People suffering from depression and bipolar are usually significantly affected by disrupted sleep patterns. I remember all too well the frustration. Sometimes you spend hours in bed, unable to get out, yet you just can’t sleep. Other times you end up sleeping, but wake up at 4 a.m., your mind racing with all sorts of negative thoughts. It’s not just me. Patrick Kennedy and Tricia Goddard, who I interviewed in Back From The Brink, rated getting the right amount of sleep as very important.
Depression both causes and is compounded by sleep disruption. The low energy caused by sleep deprivation also affects your ability to treat depression. How on earth can you make and attend appointments with experts, exercise or eat properly when you are perpetually exhausted? And socializing? Don’t even go there — the last thing you want to do when tired is talk to people. But what if you could take control of the situation, finally get a good night’s sleep and enjoy the benefits of restorative sleep and higher energy levels? With a little bit of willpower and a change in routine, you can do this. Sleep is important. In fact, respondents to my survey of over 4,000 people rated getting a good night sleep number 10 (out of 60) in importance for overcoming depression and bipolar. So where do you start in finally getting a good night’s sleep?
Sleep Hygiene In the same way that you maintain personal hygiene through washing your body and oral hygiene by brushing your teeth and flossing, sleep hygiene is a set of practices to follow as a routine, which will yield a good night’s sleep. As a general point, this is a good idea even for those not suffering from depression, as there are many health benefits to a full night’s sleep. There’s a huge list of practices which can form part of sleep hygiene, but it’s down to you as to which ones will work best for you. As a general rule of thumb, though, the aim is to create a routine which you can follow and an environment conducive to restful sleep. I’m going to emphasize a couple here, but the one I recommend most is the one that is hardest to do:
Use your bed only for sleep. You will find it harder to sleep if you stay in your bed all day, unable to move or act. I know I did. This is because you end up associating your bed with a general state of inertia, rather than the place in which sleep occurs. So even if you transfer to a sofa or somewhere else horizontal to lie all day, this is a very important step to take.
Don’t Force Yourself to Sleep You can’t will yourself to sleep. And getting frustrated at your inability to sleep doesn’t help either. Nor does glancing at the clock every few minutes. Try some meditation exercises in bed, such as paying attention to your breath, which will help clear your mind a little and take attention away from the thoughts racing around in your head.
Have a Bedtime Routine A bedtime routine, regularly followed, signals to your body that it’s time to start winding down, which helps encourage sleep. Things like avoiding upbeat music and stimulants like cigarettes, alcohol and caffeinated drinks and trying a little bit of meditation or yoga, putting on some relaxing music or some lavender essential oil or pillow spray can all help prepare you for sleep.
Maintain the Proper Atmosphere If your bedroom isn’t a good sleep environment, you’ll find it difficult to relax. A bedroom which is dark, quiet and cool (but not cold) is crucial. Too light and you’ll struggle to sleep. Too noisy and you may be awakened by sounds during the night. If it’s the wrong temperature, you’ll be tossing and turning and kicking off the covers during the night. Consider having a fan in the room. As well as helping to regulate the temperature, the ‘white noise’ of the fan’s engine can be a helpful noise to tune in to and help encourage sleep.
Sleep Better, Feel Better, Beat Depression Once your sleep hygiene improves, you will feel more refreshed and energized and really feel the benefits of a good night’s sleep – and wonder why you didn’t initiate good sleep hygiene earlier! Then you can start making real progress in boosting your mood. Not only will you have the energy and motivation to take action, you’ll also have the practice and experience of making changes to your lifestyle and routine, so you know that you can do it and it is beneficial.
Depression both causes and is compounded by sleep disruption. The low energy caused by sleep deprivation also affects your ability to treat depression. How on earth can you make and attend appointments with experts, exercise or eat properly when you are perpetually exhausted? And socializing? Don’t even go there — the last thing you want to do when tired is talk to people. But what if you could take control of the situation, finally get a good night’s sleep and enjoy the benefits of restorative sleep and higher energy levels? With a little bit of willpower and a change in routine, you can do this. Sleep is important. In fact, respondents to my survey of over 4,000 people rated getting a good night sleep number 10 (out of 60) in importance for overcoming depression and bipolar. So where do you start in finally getting a good night’s sleep?
Sleep Hygiene In the same way that you maintain personal hygiene through washing your body and oral hygiene by brushing your teeth and flossing, sleep hygiene is a set of practices to follow as a routine, which will yield a good night’s sleep. As a general point, this is a good idea even for those not suffering from depression, as there are many health benefits to a full night’s sleep. There’s a huge list of practices which can form part of sleep hygiene, but it’s down to you as to which ones will work best for you. As a general rule of thumb, though, the aim is to create a routine which you can follow and an environment conducive to restful sleep. I’m going to emphasize a couple here, but the one I recommend most is the one that is hardest to do:
Use your bed only for sleep. You will find it harder to sleep if you stay in your bed all day, unable to move or act. I know I did. This is because you end up associating your bed with a general state of inertia, rather than the place in which sleep occurs. So even if you transfer to a sofa or somewhere else horizontal to lie all day, this is a very important step to take.
Don’t Force Yourself to Sleep You can’t will yourself to sleep. And getting frustrated at your inability to sleep doesn’t help either. Nor does glancing at the clock every few minutes. Try some meditation exercises in bed, such as paying attention to your breath, which will help clear your mind a little and take attention away from the thoughts racing around in your head.
Have a Bedtime Routine A bedtime routine, regularly followed, signals to your body that it’s time to start winding down, which helps encourage sleep. Things like avoiding upbeat music and stimulants like cigarettes, alcohol and caffeinated drinks and trying a little bit of meditation or yoga, putting on some relaxing music or some lavender essential oil or pillow spray can all help prepare you for sleep.
Maintain the Proper Atmosphere If your bedroom isn’t a good sleep environment, you’ll find it difficult to relax. A bedroom which is dark, quiet and cool (but not cold) is crucial. Too light and you’ll struggle to sleep. Too noisy and you may be awakened by sounds during the night. If it’s the wrong temperature, you’ll be tossing and turning and kicking off the covers during the night. Consider having a fan in the room. As well as helping to regulate the temperature, the ‘white noise’ of the fan’s engine can be a helpful noise to tune in to and help encourage sleep.
Sleep Better, Feel Better, Beat Depression Once your sleep hygiene improves, you will feel more refreshed and energized and really feel the benefits of a good night’s sleep – and wonder why you didn’t initiate good sleep hygiene earlier! Then you can start making real progress in boosting your mood. Not only will you have the energy and motivation to take action, you’ll also have the practice and experience of making changes to your lifestyle and routine, so you know that you can do it and it is beneficial.
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