Sleepy=Depressed?

[Jaimey]

Does anyone else find that when they haven't slept well for a couple days that they get depressed? 

It seems like if I haven't been sleeping well, then I get really down and then when I get down, I have trouble sleeping.  Anyone else experience this?  Know any remedies?  I'll probably take a sleep aid tonight, but to be honest, those sometimes make it worse for me because it's so difficult to get up the next day and then I stay in bed all day, which doesn't really help the situation either.

[ativan]

I have anti-anxiety meds, Klonopin is the most effective.
I used to just take a big swig or two of Benadryl Childrens Liquid. 25 to 50 mg of Diphenhydramine will make you very sleepy if you just kick back, TV or quiet music.
It's over the counter of course, about $3 a bottle at Wmart for generic. They use it in psych units all the time. Works to calm agitated people, also. I've used it for longer than a month without any problems. Just don't let it become a bad habit. It's effects are gone by morning.

depression from lack of sleep makes it hard to sleep which leads to depression which leads to trouble sleeping which can lead to depression that makes sleeping difficult.

Also there is nothing you can change when you should be sleeping, so you might as well resign yourself to exotic erotic fantasy dreams that should leave you waking up much more refreshed and ready to take on just about any and all.

Sweet Dreams

[Shang]

It definitely happens with me.  I only resort to meds if absolutely necessary (i.e. I have something important to do the next day that requires sleep).   I try listening to soft music or taking a warm bath that's been scented with lavender, which seems to help immensely when it comes to sleepiness and the ability to sleep.

[Selinda]

Hello I'm new to the forums, and my journey. I see that ativan has suggested Diphenhydramine and it does work well but I've had some bad experience with it myself. Almost like you I was pretty depressed and couldn't sleep so I would take an OTC sleep aid with our little friend in it. After about 2 months I was up to taking 5+ of them for it to have any effect. Taken sparingly they will get the job done but if you become dependent you'll find a lot more sleepless nights when trying to stop taking them. I would recommend a melatonin supplement as it is naturally occurring in the brain to help you sleep, along with a nice cup of some Sleepy Time tea.

[espo]

I never thought about it before but that might be true for me too.  Not sleeping is something I had to deal with since I can remember, so it might also explain the slumps I get into. I honestly thought I was just feeling sorry myself and getting myself depressed, not clinically depressed.

[JustAlex]

I've heard that deliberatelly trying not to sleep could be an option. I guess it's some kind of reversed psychology. But I've never tried it myself.

General tips for sleeping are: to establish a sleeping routine; only use your bed for sleep and sex (so that the mind assciates the bed with sleeping); regular excercise; don't force youself to sleep, do something else; trying to relax (maybe with relaxation techniques)

If you have regular sleeping problems, it might be a good idea to see a doctor. There are a lot of different kinds of sleeping disorders and meds are only effective for a few of them.

[ativan]

Hello I'm new to the forums, and my journey. I see that ativan has suggested Diphenhydramine and it does work well but I've had some bad experience with it myself. Almost like you I was pretty depressed and couldn't sleep so I would take an OTC sleep aid with our little friend in it. After about 2 months I was up to taking 5+ of them for it to have any effect. Taken sparingly they will get the job done but if you become dependent you'll find a lot more sleepless nights when trying to stop taking them. I would recommend a melatonin supplement as it is naturally occurring in the brain to help you sleep, along with a nice cup of some Sleepy Time tea.

This is also true. The liquid form works better for some reason. But, like all those things, do not exceed the recommended dosage. With Benydral, you do run a small risk of it working just the opposite and becoming agitated. Especially if you use more than the recommended. And I do caution everyone that sleep aids in any form should always be aware of them becoming habitual, defeating there usefullness.
I use Benydral with good results, it not for everyone. The other suggestions here are just as effective for many people. If a hot bath works, thats far more desireable than taking any kind of med.

A hot lavender bath with sleepy time tea sounds sooooo good, but I just got up and need more coffee. Another thing that sounds soooo good right now!

[rite_of_inversion]

Try working out in the morning, really hard, for about 45 minutes.

Then, when close to bedtime, eat whatever high-protein source appeals to you and have a hot bath or shower.

[Jaimey]

Also there is nothing you can change when you should be sleeping, so you might as well resign yourself to exotic erotic fantasy dreams that should leave you waking up much more refreshed and ready to take on just about any and all.

Sweet Dreams

I wish!  All I ever have are dreams that make me go, "what the hell?" when I wake up.  Nothing but bizarre. 

Thanks for all the tips.  I slept like the dead last night (thanks to Tylenol PM), but I didn't wake up until 2 this afternoon.  I HATE THAT.  I stayed up kind of late though (like now...it's 3:15, I'm tired, but I'm also really awake.  WEIRD!).

Some of it is money worries too.  I bought a car in January and my first payment was due yesterday, but I haven't heard from the lien holder since I gave them info a couple weeks ago.  The dealer hasn't called me either, so I figure they are doing something in processing, but you know, it worries you.  Plus, I'm a broke student, so money is always an issue.  I've got three part time jobs right now, I just applied at two more places and I do freelance writing online.  I have a lot of jobs, but few hours and I don't make much.  Money is 99% of my worries and when I worry, I don't sleep well.  And then I get more anxious and sleep even less well.  It's a vicious cycle.

I've been thinking of making an appointment with the university counseling center, but I always manage to make myself feel really good the next day and don't do it.  Maybe I should. 

[Cindy]

Hi Jaimey

Making an appointment and not going 'cos you feel better is pretty common , it's equivalent to a placebo effect. Unfortunately it doesn't work very well. It is far better to talk to counsellors before things get bad or overwhelming. It sounds as if you are one very busy guy, you are obviously intelligent and well balanced, you just need a bit of help going through some stuff. Do it.

If not, Grand Ma Cindy will come over and give you a spanking 

Take care Bro, but do take the chance to get help.

Cindy

[Pica Pica]

I have to say that I don't get depressed if I'm tired (though my patience goes down some)...but then I've slept very well for the last few years. However, I do get down (and lose sleep) if I don't create something in a few days.

[Jaimey]

If not, Grand Ma Cindy will come over and give you a spanking 

Bwahahaha!  It always comes down to spankings, doesn't it? 

Well, after tonight (oh the Facebook drama), I think I will make an appointment.  An acquaintance (we have a lot of mutual friends) kept spamming a post I made because he has different political views from me...anyway, I eventually deleted his comments and he defriended me.  So I posted that he did that so my other friends (the ones who argue with him) would know they wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.  It was all fine and dandy until his roommate posted that "oh, he doesn't have a problem with you, he just didn't feel that his posts were welcome and that you were posting things you didn't read up on" blah blah blah.  She then tried to do the whole, "I'm not defending him, I'm just sayin'" thing...I don't know, that irritates me almost as much as what he was doing and I don't have anyone to talk to about stuff like that.  It just makes you feel like ->-bleeped-<- when you have done something that is perfectly all right for you to do and then someone makes you out to be wrong about it (and implies that someone else thinks your stupid).  It's like you can't defend yourself.  So frustrating.

I'm frustrated.  I have to write a paper that I don't want to write for Monday (half done, but not done well) and three articles for a company that I write for (and don't enjoy writing for).  I need a job like nobody's business and things are just not going that well these days.  Don't let me off the hook!  Make sure I call the counseling center this week!!!

[Eva Marie]

General tips for sleeping are: to establish a sleeping routine; only use your bed for sleep and sex (so that the mind assciates the bed with sleeping)

I find that this works well for me. Establish a sleep schedule and some nightly routines and stick to them. Still, i have the occasional sleepless nights as well. When that happens i strive to work back to the sleep schedule again.

It sounds like the car deal is causing a lot of distress Jaimey - i see that you bought it in january - can you sell it and buy a beater instead that's more in your price range and not worry about the payments so much? There is no shame in driving a piece of crap until you are in a position to do better

[Simone Louise]

I was reading a study saying that inconsistent, unpredictable finances were harder to deal with than being poor. I know we've found that true, and I suspect that is what you are going through, too. I have found it helps to buy lasting things when I have money, and live frugally when I don't. That way, I feel less deprived, because I really enjoy what I purchased when I could. Hang in there; I know you will make it. I'd offer you the spare room ( well it's not really spare, but the occupant is away at college), but your school is one wicked commute from here.

I used to fret about sleepless nights, but I learned if I stayed in bed with my eyes closed, I would feel sufficiently rested in the morning. Something like that happened last night. I was working on a T shirt design for my wife, and couldn't get it right, so I lay in bed with my eyes closed, going over the details. I'd doze off, wake up, and chew on it some more. All of a sudden, I had the answer and slept soundly til morn. I arose, saddled my trusty computer, and soon she had the T shirt for her Purim costume: she was Superrabbi, fighting for peace, justice and a Jewish way of life. Congregants love it and requested photos. And I am rested.

Usually, it works better if I tell myself a story while in bed with eyes closed. I'm not much for sexual phantasies, though I admit to a repeated phantasy in which someone turns me into a woman, but I fall asleep before anything sexual happens. Other times, I kayak across the ocean or hike amid the Western mountains, and never finish the journey.

I rely on naps, too, when I can get them; otherwise, sleep deprived, I slow down until I come to a grinding halt, capable of doing nothing worthwhile.

We had homemade chili for lunch that I liked better than she did, so I hope she like tonight better. It's our 23rd anniversary, and I am making filet mignon, roasted asparagus, and baked potatoes. I'm saving the Henry Bain sauce you turned us onto for the Derby. No dessert. For every hamantaschen we baked and gave away, someone gave us theirs. We've too many sweets in house for a couple enrolled in Weight Watchers. Then, once more to bed until 2:30 am.

Schlaf Wohl, Du Susser Engel Du,
S

[Jaimey]

Happy Anniversary, Simone Louise!    And that would be a killer commute.  I do feel awfully loved, though.

My finances are both erratic and involve some serious poverty at times.  The car thing is okay for the moment...next month, who knows?  It actually would have been fine because my mom was going to buy my old car, but it apparently needs fixing and that won't happen until she gets her tax refund and that won't happen until my uncle gives her the info for my grandparents' estate ("assertive" is not a word I've ever use to describe her...I'd kick my uncle's butt if it were me, but anyway).  I normally don't worry so much, but it's been tense.

One of my classes makes me feel stupid, which is not something I'm accustomed to feeling.  My professor doesn't like anything I write, which is bad because I get frustrated, but it's kind of good in a way because I know that I need to stick with creative writing.  I'm taking 12 hours, which is a lot for grad school and it's all just adding up too much.  I'll be fine, I just get frustrated...especially when none of my part time jobs pay all that well.  I really thought the writing would get me a lot more...not so much, unfortunately.

So, we'll see.  I'm going to do my best to convince myself to call the counseling center.  I feel like just having someone to talk to would do wonders.  I've always just dealt with everything on my own, so not only do I not have anyone to rely on, but I don't know how to reach out to anyone either.  Today was better than yesterday, though, and that's always a good start. 

[Jaimey]

I made an appointment!  ...it's not until April 26th.  Well, it's free, so I can't complain.    I do feel better just knowing that I did it, though.

[Cindy]

I made an appointment!  ...it's not until April 26th.  Well, it's free, so I can't complain.    I do feel better just knowing that I did it, though.

Good, and keep it or the floggings will continue

Cindy

[Jaimey]

Good, and keep it or the floggings will continue

Cindy

Is that a promise? 

[Cindy]

Yes, I have a new feather flogger, it tickles until the agony is too much and people submit to my demands

Cindy

[Jaimey]

Yes, I have a new feather flogger, it tickles until the agony is too much and people submit to my demands

Cindy

OOOOOoooo!