Progression Of Depression

[Nam]

I've had depression most of my life. I think I had it from about 12 years old. It wasn't medicated until I turned 23, after my first child. So I've definitely had my ups and downs. I'm just coming out of a dip that lasted about a month. (I hope I'm coming all the way out...) My question is: Can the length of depression be shorter by just giving in to the desire to sleep?

When I'm starting to sink, I feel so tired. Pretty soon my sleep lingers out from 8 hours to 10 hours. Before I know it, it's like 12 hours. When I'm awake, I feel like I have cement boots, headaches, and shallow breathing. I just can't seem to do anything. But even with all of this, I fight like mad. I try to take walks. I try to get some sun. I try my hardest to derive any joy out of anything. But I don't think anything I've tried really has helped. It might have even made me worse off because nothing was working. Then I beat myself up about it.

I'm wondering if I treated depression like a bad cold, would it be shorter? Rest a lot for a few days when I feel it come on and then spring back to life? Has this worked for anyone before I try it the next time? Do any of you foresee it backfiring?

 

[ekane]

I have asked myself this many times and have read a trillion articles about it. Some say give in. "Depression" = "deep + rest". The brain needs deep rest. Since you have PTSD its no stretch to assume the brain has been overused for years. On the other hand you are doing what is also commonly recommended - getting up and walking etc.

Because I've read some much I can tell you that no Ines depression is exactly like another's. Some depression stems from modern culture itself and therefore no walks and no pills will ever he enough.

Depression means many things might need to be assessed and altered --- such as getting more high quality socializing in, a whole suite of vitamin supplements, experimenting with sleep, meds, major diet/job/career/lifestlye changes, really looking at ones identity and goals etc, just name a FEW. Depression is much more common now than in every century past of human existence. So understand that anything and everything these days can be a factor, and your choice to sleep or fight may or may not even matter for your depression experience.


I have experimented for years with both and noticed it changes from day to day. It's not so much about the sleep as it is what I'm doing when I fight to stay awake ad why I fought for it, how long I fight and how I give in.

 

[WillyKat]

I think there's some truth to the idea that you need deep rest. PTSD is often called an anxiety disorder. I always had a hard time getting my head around it but it makes sense that if you spend so much of your life hyper-vigilant, triggered, or afraid, eventually you're brain has to balance itself out by being depressed. It needs to recharge so that it can be hyper again.

 

[Nam]

I'm just sick of these dips. I get behind on laundry and housework. My kids need me. I need to be attentive. Honestly, obviously, I just want them gone. Forever. But if I have to suffer through, then make it shorter. I can't sleep for more than 12 hours a day for 30 days.

 

[reallydown]

I have no answers. I haven't found anything that helps other than in the very short term occasionally. And people are right - it's different for everyone. I will lie in bed but I have trouble sleeping...I also separate my PTSD depression from my ...er.."regular" depression...I know it may not make sense but ti's almost two different things for me and I know what some of it has to do with (existential depression which I've had for...a long time; granted, so is the case with PTSD)...And part of me knows that I'll always be this way and...I don't know if anything that traditionally makes people "wired" would work or even be a good idea? I get racing thoughts etc so that wouldn't work for me...though I still occasionally indulge. Maybe you can try it once and surrender to it and see? The only problem potentially is that it won't work but that you'll get stuck in that pattern...

 

[desiderata310]

Like everyone else I don't have "the answer" but I can say this: the worse my sleep is, the worse my depression and SI tends to be.
I was bombing hard earlier this week and managed to take myself home and sleep for several hours and was... passable for the afternoon/evening. Passable meaning, I wasn't a complete wreck and I wasn't actively feeling suicidal for a bit.

I'm in the midst of struggling through a bad 'dip'. I'm fighting triggers left and right and there's probably something to do with the time of year as well (i.e., there are things that tend to be an anniversary associated with October in general) I've noticed that my sleep is worse and my need for sleep has increased two fold. Unfortunately I can't GET the sleep I need because my brain isn't in the mood to cooperate.

So, while I can't say that it's the solution, I think there's something to the need for sleep.