There is nothing that has as powerful and lasting impact on mood as sleep. Sleep disruption messes with circadian rhythms, the 24-hour clock system wired into our brain that governs fluctuations in body temperature and the secretion of several hormones.
While there has always been some data to suggest that sleep deprivation may increase a person’s vulnerability to depression, some experts today claim that chronic sleep deprivation can, in fact, cause depression. So what do you do when you can’t sleep? Here are eight suggestions culled from those who have been successful at beating insomnia.
Our daughter had said she had not slept in 18 days. I asked her are you depressed and she said no. She had a blank, looked very disturbed. I tried to hug her & begged her to get help. She stopped talking to us instead.