The relationship between sleep and mood is hard to measure and has so many complicating factors that make every case unique. New mothers are sleep deprived, but also face a drastic hormone shift that can aggravate post-partum depression. Loss of a loved one or a job can create a shift in sleep and mood due to grief. These effects cannot be measured or compared.
Because the symptoms of depression overlap with symptoms of sleep disorders, many cases are often misdiagnosed. Depression is often a downstream effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy and Restless Legs Syndrome. But when these sleep disorders go undiagnosed, the depression becomes more evident and is often the only concern that gets treated. A European study of Obstructive Sleep Apnea found that people with depression were five times more likely to suffer from sleep disordered breathing at night. Those who used a CPAP for one year found improvements in mood that were significant and lasting.
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER AND SLEEP
Winter proves to be an additional challenge for those struggling with sleep and depression. The extended night hours and lack of daylight create an imbalance between serotonin and melatonin which make us feel down. Serotonin and melatonin are on the same family line and serotonin helps us make melatonin. In winter, the longer nights create a higher demand for melatonin. This demand takes from the pile of serotonin and reduces the amount of available serotonin for mood balance. This means we are more likely to feel sluggish, less motivated and less happy.
While we should be sleeping more at this time of year, our lifestyles don’t allow it. With too many things to get done before the end of the day, we end of sleeping later and struggling to wake up in the morning.
SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION
Childhood mental illness may be the most significant health concern of the 21st century. Children communicate differently and are not always able to convey their emotions to their adult counterparts. The combined effects of excessive screen time, over-involvement in extracurriculars and an active household often lead to insufficient sleep and downtime. Many children are not able to properly decompress at the end of a busy day and this can lead to disruptions in sleep, mood disorders and poor focus at school. The National Sleep Foundation American Sleep Poll in 2006 showed that among children aged 11-17 who reported being unhappy, 73% also reported not sleeping enough. Learn to recognize the signs of childhood depression and anxiety.
SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND ADHD
Children and adults display sleepiness very differently. While adults seem to slow down when tired, children tend to overcompensate and speed up. Sleep deprivation can show up as moodiness, explosive emotions and aggression in children. Many of these children can often be diagnosed as ADHD.
While ADHD is linked with a variety of sleep disorders, it is difficult to determine which came first. Children with ADHD have higher rates of daytime sleepiness than children without ADHD. 50% of children with ADHD demonstrated disordered breathing and other sleep disorders such as Restless Legs Syndrome. Perhaps managing sleep problems could be enough to eliminate or significantly reduce ADHD symptoms in adults and children.
SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND ANXIETY
Anxiety can cause sleeping problems and lack of sleep can exacerbate an anxiety disorder. Over the course of the day, we produce the hormone Cortisol in response to stressful events. In a very primal way, our bodies perceive danger and keep us on edge by creating anxiety. In order for our melatonin to rise at the end of the day, cortisol needs to decrease. This means the evening hours before bed are crucial opportunities to lower the stress response, clear out excess cortisol and calm the nervous system for sleep. If we are not able to properly calm the stress response at night, we end up with restless sleep, frequent waking and overactive mental activity.
As mentioned above, inadequate sleep results in a 17x increased risk of clinical anxiety. The series of false alarms that we experience as stress and anxiety during the day leads to a state of dysfunctional arousal. This means we are always anticipating a stressful event and are always in fight-or-flight mode. As this pattern persists, we are more prone to sleep-wake difficulties and sleep disturbance.