Insomnia and Depression: a Common Link

Many people already know that depression can be a major cause of
insomnia. When you're so worried about life, it's hard to clear your
mind and get a good night's sleep. But did you know that lack of
sleep may lead to depression?

Here is some information to help you understand the link between
these two pressing problems. So, does this mean you treat the
depression and the sleep disorder goes away? Probably not.

Recent studies have shown that the sleep disorder is what starts
the cycle, not the depression. Many patients with clinical depression
had trouble sleeping for up to five weeks before experiencing depression
symptoms.

If the person is treated for the sleep disorder while they are still in a
normal emotional state, many of them don't become depressed.
However, as mentioned earlier, depression feeds the sleep disorder as
well; once a person becomes depressed, their sleep disorder tends to
worsen.

Current research is pointing towards the fact that while insomnia may
not cause depression, treating insomnia may result in fewer depressive
episodes for someone diagnosed with clinical depression.

While the exact relationship between sleep and depression hasn't been
completely determined, it is obvious that there is a definite link between
the two conditions. What is known is that if you are prone to depression
and are experiencing insomnia, you should seek treatment immediately
to avoid having a depressive episode.

Research has shown that depression not only affects how much sleep a
person gets, it also determines what kind of sleep they have. Someone
with depression has a short and sometimes barely existent early stage
of sleep.

Instead of going through the normal sleep cycles, the brain skips forward
to REM sleep; the type of sleep that lets us deal with our emotions and
convert memories. Their brain also tends to stay in this stage longer
than non depressed people.

Besides skipping important and vital stages of sleep, depressed people
may get different effects from REM sleep than non depressed people.
They tend to convert memories incorrectly and put them in a more
negative light. Researchers also think that depressed people and their
families have this type of REM sleep even if they are not depressed.

It should be noted that these studies have been done on people with
unipolar depression. These are people who get depressed, but never
enter a manic phase. For those with manic depression, also known as
bipolar disorder, inability to sleep is completely different than in unipolar
patients. It is actually normally associated with the manic phase of the
disorder.

When you think of a depressed person, you may picture them lying in
bed all day, but even though they may not want to leave their bedroom,
that doesn't mean they're sleeping.

While only 15% of clinically depressed people get more sleep than when
they're feeling fine, more than 80% of them don't get enough sleep.
In fact, one of the best indicators of depression is someone who wakes
up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. While they tend
to get about 6 hours of sleep a night, it's still enough of a loss to become
problem.

Meditation as a Stress Relief Tool

I remember seeing comedy shows or skits when I was young where
someone is practicing meditation. There was usually one person closing
their eyes and “ohm”ing while the other person tried to imitate them or
simply made snide remarks.

While we used to look upon meditation as being funny, ridiculous, or just
plain odd; we now know about all the benefits it has to offer. Originally,
meditation was used to focus and gain religious knowledge. Now, it is
commonly used to reduce stress and live longer, happier, healthier lives.

By doing this regularly, you will train your mind and body to be more
relaxed, peaceful and focused. You will find this not only affects your
stress levels, but also your physical and mental functioning.

So why is mediation so helpful for relieving stress? First of all, it helps
focus the mind on something that is deeply and spiritually rooted. By
focusing on one thing, you’re forced to forget the world around you
and all the stressors that come with it.

By closing your eyes and sitting in a quiet room, you also filter out the
sights and sounds that may stress you. Meditation also helps repair the
physical and mental damage caused by stress. The chemicals present
in your body actually change during meditation making you more relaxed
and peaceful.

The best part about meditation is, unlike yoga, it requires no special
physical skills. While good meditation requires mental skills, you can start
small and build your way up as you get more practice. Here’s how to get
started.

* Find a quiet room and sit in a comfortable position. There is no specific
“better” position, just one where you feel comfortable and can relax.

* Close your eyes and relax your muscles. Do this by focusing on each
individual muscle, starting at the feet and working your way up. Focus on
the stress leaving each muscle as it relaxes.

* Begin to breathe slowly while you repeat your mantra. This can be
anything from the traditional “ohm” to something you find personally
important. If you are religious or spiritual, you can chant something related
to your beliefs.

* If you find your mind wandering, don’t beat yourself up about it; simply
remain calm and return to your focus word.

* After 15 to 20 minutes, you can stop meditating and sit quietly for a
few minutes before you return to your regular life.

The relaxing benefits are only the short term benefits Those factors are
only successful in filtering out stress that you’ve already experienced and
making you relaxed during and after your meditating.

The real benefit of meditation is its longer term effects. If practiced on a
daily basis, meditation can actually balance the levels of hormones and
other stress related chemicals on a day-to-day basis; even when you’re
not meditating.

This means that meditation will not only help you unwind at the end of a
stressful day, it can also leave you more peaceful and less stressed during
your long day at work.

I have gathered the above information from various sources and I've since
discovered a wonderful website with all kinds of information on the subject
of meditation, hypnotherapy and personal development. Adam Eason even
offers a mini hypnotheraph session right on his website and a great newsletter.

Fran Civile

Want to learn more about these fascinating fields of hypnosis, modern psychology
and personal development?

Visit Adam Eason's website