Sleep Problems Associated With Medications from Depression
About 80 percent of depressed individuals experience sleep problems as a result of their depressive illness...
There are many sleep problems that may be associated with depression or depression medications. Possible problems include:
Difficulty falling asleep
Waking up in the middle of the night with difficulty getting back to sleep
Waking up too early in the morning
Unusually brief periods of REM sleep. (REM means "rapid eye movement." REM sleep is dream sleep)
Unusually long periods of stage 1 (light) sleep
Unusually brief periods of stage 3 and 4 (deep, restorative) sleep
In addition to the misery sleep problems cause, those who suffer them double their risk of automobile accidents. Their suicide risk also increases.
If you are suffering sleep problems, try these treatments:
Maintain a regular sleep-wake pattern. Go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, including on the weekend.
Don't exercise strenuously within two to three hours of retiring. Exercise early in the day helps you sleep, but exercise too close to bed causes wakefulness.
Don't eat a large meal within one to two hours of going to bed. Major digestive efforts can keep you up.
Have a light snack before bed. A little bit of food before bed can help you sleep.
Adopt bedtime rituals. Read for a while. Change into pajamas. Brush your teeth. Lock your doors. Turn out your lights. Rituals help ease you into sleep.
Turn down your thermostat. Cool temperatures help induce sleep.
Don't nap during the day. Napping can interfere with night sleep.
Limit your caffeine consumption. Drink less regular coffee. Caffeine can also be found in tea, colas, cocoa, chocolate, and many over-the-counter drugs (read labels and ask your pharmacist).
Avoid shift work. If at all possible, work days (9 to 5 or a schedule close to it). Working afternoons (4 to 12) and nights (12 to 8) disrupt sleep. The most sleep disrupting schedule is rotating shift work: periods of day, afternoon, and night work.
In addition, several antidepressant medications may disrupt sleep, notably, MAO inhibitors, tricyclic drugs, and the SSRI's. If you take any of these medications and experience sleep disturbances you may not be aware of them. They may cause "micro-awakenings," momentary rousing during sleep that you don't realize is happening. So how can you tell if your antidepressant is causing sleep disturbances? One tip-off is daytime drowsiness. If you experience this, discuss it with your doctor. Dose adjustment may resolve the problem. If not, you might be able to switch to a medication not associated with sleep problems.
Woman's World Source:
Depression.com