{"id":5826,"date":"2021-02-22T19:02:51","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T08:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elevatedental.h0jrn6qu-liquidwebsites.com\/?p=5826"},"modified":"2023-01-04T01:38:39","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T01:38:39","slug":"science-explains-how-many-hours-of-sleep-you-need-to-avoid-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elevatedental.com.au\/science-explains-how-many-hours-of-sleep-you-need-to-avoid-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Explains How Many Hours of Sleep You Need to Avoid Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Insomnia is extremely common in the US and affects one out of every three adults at some point in their life. It is more common in older adults (usually due to chronic physical illness) and women (who experience significant hormonal changes throughout their lives). Insomnia is often a key characteristic in diagnosing depression. The inability to get to sleep or to maintain sleep throughout the night is thought to be a key contributing factor to the onset of depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you are sad or feel hopeless because of a personal situation, these feelings can sometimes interfere with sleep as those thoughts spin around your head at a thousand miles an hour. Those feelings can be so overwhelming and persistent that you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. Sleep is a restorative state where your body and mind recharge from the events of the day. If that state is interrupted, you will feel fatigued, which leads to a lack of exercise and declining fitness level. This can cause a vicious cycle of inactivity and sleeplessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lack of sleep can also be brought on by things like Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which interferes with sleep and prevents the person from experiencing restorative sleep. OSA interferes with the person\u2019s airway and reduces the supply of oxygen to the body. This causes the person to wake up often during the night. OSA has been linked to the onset of depression, and, on the other hand, people with depression are five times more likely to have OSA symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression triggered when the days begin getting shorter during the fall season. Shorter days means less sunlight, and that can have an adverse effect on a person\u2019s circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a biological process that keeps us on a regular sleep\/wake schedule. When that rhythm is disrupted, it can cause insomnia and other sleep disorders, which could contribute to depression. For most people with SAD, the symptoms of depression are eliminated with the onset of springtime and more sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what are some things we can do before bedtime to increase the chance of falling asleep and decrease the chances of waking up during the night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n