Lack Of Sleep And Depression Will Undermine Any Beauty Regimen

Sleep Deprivation and Depression: What's the Link?

Sleep is good for your brain; here's what goes on while you rest up

The annual event World Sleep Day is set to happen Friday, marking the end to Sleep Awareness Week, and it hopes to emphasize the importance of sleep to your personal health. The day was created by sleep medicine professionals and researchers who wanted to create an event around "the importance of healthy sleep," according to the event's website.

If you've been diagnosed with clinical depression, you may be having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. There's a reason for that. There is a definite link between lack of sleep and depression. In fact, one of the common signs of depression is insomnia or an inability to fall and stay asleep.

That's not to say insomnia or other sleep problems are caused only by depression. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in the U.S., affecting nearly one out of every three adults at some point in life. More women suffer from insomnia than men, and as people get older, insomnia becomes more prevalent.

Most experts agree that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. But even without depression, according to the National Sleep Foundation, the average American only gets about 6.9 hours. When you add depression to the mix, the problems with sleep are compounded.

What's the Link Between Sleep Disorders and Depression?

An inability to sleep is one of the key signs of clinical depression. Another sign of clinical depression is sleeping too much or oversleeping.

What's the Link Between Sleep Disorders and Depression? An inability to sleep is one of the key signs of clinical depression. Another sign of clinical depression is sleeping too much or oversleeping.

Having a sleep disorder does not in itself cause depression, but lack of sleep does play a role. Lack of sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. An inability to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important clue that someone may be depressed.

What Is Clinical Depression?

Clinical depression is a mood disorder. It causes you to feel sad, hopeless, worthless, and helpless. Sure, we all feel sad or blue from time to time. But when you feel sad for long periods and the feelings become intense, the depressed mood and its associated physical symptoms can keep you from living a normal life.

Why Is Sleep So Important?

Normal sleep is a restorative state. However, when sleep is disrupted or inadequate, it can lead to increased tension, vigilance, and irritability.

Physical or emotional trauma and metabolic or other medical problems can trigger sleep disturbances. Poor sleep can lead to fatigue. With fatigue, you exercise less and that leads to a decline in your fitness level. Eventually, you find yourself in a vicious cycle of inactivity and disturbed sleep, which causes both physical and mood-related symptoms.

What Is Insomnia? Insomnia is difficulty initiating or maintaining normal sleep. It can result in nonrestorative sleep and interfere with or impair the way you function during the day. Insomnia is often a characteristic of depression and other mental health disorders. With insomnia, you may sleep too little, have difficulty falling asleep, awaken frequently throughout the night, or be unable to get back to sleep.

With untreated depression, you may have overwhelming feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or guilt. These feelings can interrupt sleep. Or your mind may be in overdrive, ruminating about situations over which you have no control. With that rumination come high levels of anxiety, fears about poor sleep, low daytime activity levels, and a tendency to misperceive sleep.

How Are Sleep Disorders and Depression Treated?

The treatment for clinical depression depends on how serious the mood disorder is. For instance, psychotherapy (talk therapy or counseling) combined with medications (antidepressants) is highly effective in treating depression. The antidepressants work to decrease symptoms of sadness or hopelessness while the psychotherapy helps improve coping skills and change negative attitudes and beliefs caused by depression. Talk therapy also works on coping skills to help you fall asleep more easily.

Which Medications Help Sleep Disorders and Depression?

Your doctor may treat sleep disorders and depression with an antidepressant such as an SSRI -- a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe a sedating antidepressant or a hypnotic medication -- a sleeping pill or other medication that helps people sleep.

Which Types of Antidepressants Can Help With Sleep?

Your doctor may prescribe one of the following antidepressants that can also help you sleep:

* An SSRI such as Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, and Paxil. These medications can perform double duty for people by helping them sleep and elevating their mood. Some people taking these drugs, though, may still have trouble sleeping. Other antidepressant medicines that affect serotonin through multiple serotonin receptors include Viibryd and Trintellix.
* Tricyclic antidepressants (including Pamelor and Elavil)
* SNRIs (serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as Effexor, Pristiq, Khedezla, Fetzima, or Cymbalta)
* Sedating antidepressants (such as Remeron). The antidepressant trazodone is not widely used to treat depression but because it can cause drowsiness it is often paired as a sleep aid that can be used with other antidepressants.

Which Hypnotics or Sleeping Pills Are Most Effective?

Your doctor may prescribe one of the following hypnotics or sleeping pills to help resolve insomnia:

* Ambien/Ambien CR
* Belsomra
* Lunesta
* Restoril
* Sonata
* Rozerem

Are There Other Sleep Tips That Can Help Depression?

Here are some lifestyle tips that -- in combination with antidepressants and sedative-hypnotics -- may help improve sleep and resolve insomnia:

* Meditation, listening to soft music, or reading a book before bedtime can help increase relaxation while focusing your thoughts on neutral or pleasant topics.
* Clear your head of concerns by writing a list of activities that needs to be completed the next day. Then tell yourself you will think about it tomorrow.
* Get regular exercise -- but no later than a few hours before bedtime. Daily exercise, including stretching and conditioning exercises, can help to facilitate sleep and relieve the associated anxiety many people have about staying asleep.
* Avoid looking at a bright screen (for example, a laptop or television) prior to bedtime because the light emitted from computer monitors or LCD screens can suppress release of the natural hormone melatonin, which signals the brain to go to sleep.
* High levels of arousal associated with racing thoughts, worries, or rumination may delay sleep onset. Relaxation therapies such as yoga and deep abdominal breathing may be useful in initiating sleep.
* Don't use caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine in the evening. Check the ingredients in any over-the-counter or prescription medications to see if "sleeplessness" is indicated. Some medications such as headache medicines contain caffeine, which can cause poor sleep.
* Don't lie in bed tossing and turning. Get out of bed and do some light activity (such as reading or listening to soft music) in another room when you can't sleep. Go back to bed when you are feeling drowsy.
* Use the bed only for sleeping and sex. Don't lie in bed to watch TV or read. This way, your bed becomes a cue for sleeping, not for lying awake.
* Take a warm shower right before bedtime to increase deep sleep as your body cools.
* Keep your bedroom at a cool temperature.
* Wear earplugs and a sleep mask if noise and light bother your sleep.
* Get blackout shades for your bedroom to keep outside lights from bothering you.
* A white noise machine may also help if you cannot sleep because of household noises.

Sleep deprivation can rapidly reduce the symptoms of depression

It may sound counter-intuitive, but for decades it has been known that sleep deprivation can rapidly alleviate symptoms of depression. A new meta-analysis from a team at the University of Pennsylvania has examined more than 30 years worth of studies on the strange phenomenon and concluded that sleep deprivation can result in antidepressant effects in up to 50 percent of people.

Nearly 200 years ago, a German psychiatrist named Johann Christian August Heinroth successfully experimented with sleep deprivation as a treatment for, what he called at the time "melancholia." Over recent decades the phenomenon has become a major area of study for psychologists and a process called Wake Therapy was developed to quickly alleviate major depressive symptoms and jumpstart treatment with antidepressant drugs.

"More than 30 years since the discovery of the antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation, we still do not have an effective grasp on precisely how effective the treatment is and how to achieve the best clinical results," says senior author of the new study Philip Gehrman.

In compiling the meta-analysis the team focused on 66 studies (out of a pool of more than 2,000) to understand what variables either increase or decrease the efficacy of a sleep deprivation treatment for depression. In generating its findings the team took into account age, gender, accompanying medications and different types of sleep deprivation (i.e total, partial, early or late).

The results showed that sleep deprivation was effective across the board, regardless of demographics or delivery technique. In studies with a randomized control group, positive responses were identified 45 percent of the time, while in studies without a control group, positive responses hit 50 percent.

"Regardless of how the response was quantified, how the sleep deprivation was delivered, or the type of depression the subject was experiencing, we found a nearly equivalent response rate," says Gehrman.

One of the biggest challenges researchers now face in translating this seemingly odd, but longstanding phenomenon into a practical treatment is the fact that the effects of sleep deprivation on depression are not long-lasting. Depressive symptoms tend to recur anywhere from one day to one week after a treatment.

And pragmatically, sleep deprivation isn't a long-term solution to depression, with many studies correlating chronic insomnia and sleep disruption as actually being a trigger for depressive symptoms. But the research does point to some fundamentally fascinating conclusions about how our brains function. A study from 2015 discovered that sleep deprivation influences the same mood-regulating receptor in the frontal lobe as ketamine and tricyclic antidepressants.

Some clinicians are also experimenting with chronotherapy as a way to extend the short-lived anti-depressant effects of sleep deprivation. The treatment combines sleep deprivation with a timed sleep schedule and bright light therapy (a timed exposure to full-spectrum light at key times throughout the day).

While this new meta-analysis does solidify a positive correlation between sleep deprivation and a reduction in depressive symptoms, this isn't a cue for sufferers to start randomly pulling all-nighters. Sleep deprivation can certainly assist in alleviating the effects of an acute depressive episode, but long-term sleep disruption is not recommended. More research still needs to be done to understand how sleep deprivation actually results in this positive effect, but there are hopes this could lead to the development of new drugs that can replicate the effect without forcing a patient to sacrifice a good night's sleep.

The Complex Relationship Between Sleep, Depression & Anxiety

Excessive sleepiness not only affects your physical health, it has a big impact on your mental health as well. When you don't get the 7-9 hours of quality sleep you need, it can heavily influence your outlook on life, energy level, motivation, and emotions.

If you're feeling low, you may not realize that lack of sleep is the culprit. But even small levels of sleep deprivation over time can chip away at your happiness. You might see that you're less enthusiastic, more irritable, or even have some of the symptoms of clinical depression, such as feeling persistently sad or empty. All these alterations to your mood can affect not only your individual mental health, but your relationships and family dynamics as well.

The link between sleep and mood has been seen over and over by researchers and doctors. For example, people with insomnia have greater levels of depression and anxiety than those who sleep normally. They are 10 times as likely to have clinical depression and 17 times as likely to have clinical anxiety. The more a person experiences insomnia and the more frequently they wake at night as a result, the higher the chances of developing depression.

Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which a person wakes frequently and very briefly throughout the night, is linked to depression as well. In one study of nearly 19,000 people, those with obstructive sleep apnea were five times as likely to suffer from clinical depression. Researchers believe this is because when sleep is disrupted over and over, it can alter brain activity and neurochemicals that affect a person's mood and thinking.

The relationship between sleep and mood is complex, because disrupted sleep can lead to emotional changes, clinical depression or anxiety (as well as other psychiatric conditions), but these conditions can also compound or further disrupt sleep. In fact, altered sleep patterns are a hallmark of many mental health issues. If you find yourself sleeping too little or too much on a regular basis, it's important to bring this up with your doctor so the two of you can look at your total physical and mental health picture and decide if further tests or a treatment plan is necessary.

Depression And Lack Of Sleep Can Undermine Any Beauty Regimen

When people think of beauty, many times they thing of prettiness and loveliness. Beauty is not only on the outside, and it is a very subjective thing. At the same time, doing your best to be beautiful is something that any woman can do with ease. Here are some tips all about beauty.

Use steam to refresh your face. Steam releases the impurities in your pores, and you don't need to go to a sauna. A bowl or other container of hot water and a towel are all you need; just hold your head over it and let the piping hot steam redeem your skin.

As part of your beauty routine, buy high quality makeup brushes. High quality brushes contain fine hairs, which will make your cosmetic application even. They are also soft on the skin, so you can avoid those micro scratches that can lead to wrinkles and blemishes. A high quality set will cost more, but it is well worth the investment.

If you feel as though you are having one off day you shouldn't fret. There are some aspects that are out of your control which will affect your daily appearance. One of the biggest variables is the weather and a humid day can wreck havoc on someone, especially a woman who has larger hair.

To make close set eyes appear further apart, apply your eye makeup so it is heaver on the outer edges of your eyes. Use light eyeshadow on the inner half of your eyes and darker shadow on the outer half, blending the two together seamlessly in the middle. Then, to finish off the look, apply your eyeliner and mascara so that it is heavier at the outer corner. This will give the illusion that your eyes are set further apart.

Use a brow gel to stimulate growth in sparse eye brows. Whether you have naturally sparse brows or got a little overzealous with the tweezers, a brow gel can help grow hair back. Look for one that has added protein. In the meantime, use fillers to shade the thin areas.

Look for a concealer palette that comes with two different shades of concealer. This allows you to blend a perfectly customized shade that will melt flawlessly into your skin. Use small dabbing and patting motions to apply the concealer over red areas, broken capillaries, and any other marks or discolored areas.

If you have natural plum lips, it is unnecessary to wear lipstick. It will just take away from the unique feature that your lips already have. If you still insist on using lipstick, stick with a color that is a darker pink, and use a fine brush to apply a thin coat.

You should consider tinting your eyebrows, if you are dealing with a combination of fair hair and fair skin. The eyebrows help to define and emphasize the face. If your skin is pale and your hair is light, you may be losing out on the potential benefits of your eyebrows. Use a subtle tint to improve your eyebrows' impact.

To whiten and brighten your teeth, add a little baking soda to your toothbrush once a week. Just sprinkle a little baking soda in the palm of your hand, dampen your toothbrush and press the bristles into the baking soda, add toothpaste and brush your teeth as usual. Don't do this more than once a week since baking soda can be hard on your tooth enamel if overused.

While beauty says nothing about who you are as a person, it never hurts to put some effort into looking your best. Apply the tips that this article has given to you. Just remember not to go overboard, because being beautiful is not the most important thing in the world.