12/19/2024
👉Poor sleep quality: Depression often affects the quality of sleep, leading to shallow, fragmented sleep rather than deep, restorative sleep. This means that even if you spend enough hours in bed, you may not get the restorative stages of sleep necessary for feeling refreshed.
👉Insomnia and difficulty falling asleep: Many people with depression experience insomnia, which can include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. These disruptions prevent the brain and body from getting sufficient rest.
👉Disrupted circadian rhythms: Depression can disrupt the body's internal clock, or circadian rhythms, leading to irregular sleep patterns. This can cause misalignment between your sleep-wake cycle and natural daylight, affecting the quality of sleep and overall restfulness.
👉Overactive stress response: Depression can heighten the body's stress response, releasing stress hormones like cortisol that interfere with the ability to fall and stay asleep. This overactivity keeps the body in a state of alertness, preventing deep rest.
👉Emotional exhaustion: The emotional toll of depression can lead to a state of constant exhaustion that sleep alone cannot alleviate. Emotional fatigue affects the ability to feel rested even after a full night's sleep.