My depression is at its worst in the morning: Why? 

Depression comes with intense sadness and feelings of hopelessness.  Those who suffer with it experience a loss of interest in once beloved activities, significant impairment in day to day functioning, and a variety of other harmful symptoms, like severe sleep disturbances—which triggers a dangerous ripple effect.

*If you need depression help, consider working with a depression therapist.You don't need to suffer alone. A counselor can help you manage your symptoms and live better.

The Link Between Depression and Your Circadian Rhythm

Some people who struggle with depression report feeling worse in the mornings. This is a direct result of the disruption depression has on one’s circadian rhythm, or the cycle of one’s physical, mental, and behavioral changes. Sleeping at night and being awake during the daytime is an important example of this rhythm… as we rely on this pattern to function normally in our everyday. And when it gets thrown off, we suffer.

“One reason many feel more severe depression in the morning is that depression has been shown to disturb the circadian rhythm,” Sarah Epstein, a marriage and family therapist, explains. “A person’s circadian rhythm impacts energy level, mood, and thinking. So, a person with depression gets poor sleep and their normal circadian cycle suffers, causing all sorts of depressive symptoms like fatigue, anger, frustration, and irritability.”

Sleep Disruptions Harm Emotional Wellbeing

While it starts with the disruption in one’s circadian rhythm, it doesn’t stop there. As Epstein explained above, depression causes sleep disruptions which then throws off an individual’s circadian rhythm. This disturbance then creates other damaging and inconvenient effects, such as those related to one’s emotional wellbeing: they might experience fatigue, anger, or irritability. Amanda Porter, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, explains how it affects their day to day functioning as well:

“Poor sleep leads to morning somnolence, which contributes to poor outlook on the day, fatigue, lack of joy, and feeling less fulfilled. Sadly, often people with depression are waking up with their family, which is often a key stressor. Morning time can be highly stressful, with getting kids off to school and facing the morning commute. Often, people with depression will consume an energy drink or coffee to get their day started, get a boost of energy, and get out of their ‘funk.’ However, this then plays into the vicious cycle of sleep disruption the following night.”

Get Restful Sleep: 3 Important Tips

If you’re depressed and your struggling to sleep at night, you can make a few simple changes to get a good night’s sleep again:

1)    Allocate your bed just for sleeping. While beds were made for sleeping, most of us don’t strictly use it for sleeping: we watch Netflix in bed, we read in bed, we talk on the phone in bed, we scroll through social media in bed, we do everything we possibly can from the comfort of our bed. I know, it’s cozy! But what if I told you that you could get a better night’s sleep if you declare your bed your sleeping place—in which you utilize it strictly for sleeping. That’s right, doing so will help you to sleep soundly at night, as your brain starts to associate your bed with sleep instead of a place for various activities.

2)    Follow a bedtime routine. Take some time to put together a relaxing, beneficial bedtime routine. This might include taking a warm shower, journaling, reading your book, or spending a few minutes cuddling with your pup. Once you start employing this routine, your brain will start to associate it with bedtime (just as your brain does with your bed and sleep), and signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.

3)    Ease yourself to sleep. If you plop down on your pillow and can’t fall asleep, don’t try to force it. You can’t force yourself to sleep—in fact, if you try to force yourself to sleep, you’ll probably stay awake for longer! Instead, you should do what you can to ease into it. Practice some relaxing exercises like meditation or even counting sheep. Focus on your breathing and get the most out of your wind down time. Soon enough, those racing thoughts will slow and you’ll drift off.