SLEEP AND DEPRESSION

Sleep has always been a major factor with my depression. I have spoke with many fellow sufferers who agree that during a depressive episode, they too suffer with some sort of sleep dysfunction. Depression can absolutely drain a person, mentally and physically. As I stated in my book, "It's The Depression Talking," I have unconsciously slept years away to escape feelings of emotional pain. Depression left me exhausted all of the time. It was nothing for me to sleep 12-14 hours straight, and still wake up feeling like I could sleep longer! Years before I ever realized it was depression that was responsible for my endless slumber I used to think there was something physically wrong with me, that I was sick in some way. I was constantly told I was lazy, and told to get up, get a life, get a job, etc. When I couldn't get up I in turn believed maybe I really was lazy, that I didn't really want a job, that I was a loser and didn't care about anything but laying around and sleeping. I was taught to believe the stigma. It wasn't until many, many years later did I realize, "Hey, maybe there really is something going on here." Sleep was my first sign of depression from way back when I was a young teen, but nobody knew that back then. I literally used to skip school to sleep, while my friends were skipping school to drive around and have fun. Now days with the help of medication my time is not spent sleeping days away. However, when I start feeling the overwhelming need for a lot of sleep the first thing I do is evaluate how I am feeling. I ask myself, "Okay, could I be coming down with a cold maybe? Am I overly stressed and just need a harmless nap to rejuvenate, or is this something else? Else as in, the start of a depression. If I have learned one thing about depression in all the years I have had it, it is to be proactive and pay very close attention to how you are feeling and how your thoughts are. If I am thinking extremely negatively for a few days, and I suddenly have an overwhelming need for sleep that is so bad I can barely function, I know that is probably not normal. Therefore, I need to reevaluate what is going on in my life and in my thoughts. Knowledge is power! Pay attention folks!