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Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

nytimes.com

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Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#121

Post by JasonSage »

> Most people’s natural cycle is somewhat longer than the 24-hour solar day, which means that, left to our own devices, we would get quickly get out of sync with the external world.

I've always had very bad issues sleeping and waking "on time." In school this led to me regularly missing class and eventually dropping school entirely, and with regular work schedules I hardly ever got good sleep.

A little while ago, I made a commitment to myself to sleep when I was tired and to get up when I was rested. I eased into a schedule where every day I got up and went to bed about an hour later every day.

This has been my schedule for the past 9 months or so. I sleep 8 to 10 hours per night. Every night I go to bed about an hour later than the night before. My schedule rotates about 6-8 hours per week, and about 12-14 hours every two weeks, meaning I do a complete rotation about once a month.

During this time I've been vastly more productive and happy, I've had many fewer emotional swings toward anger or sadness, and I'm much more calm and less anxious in general.

My sleep schedule is easy to adhere to and self-corrects if I ever need to be up early/late or at a certain time. I even have an easier time making scheduled meeting times because I'm rested enough to be able to get up early when I need to.

Interestingly, I'm consistently well-rested and alert with my schedule despite having zero dependence on the natural sunlight cycle. I think this is because sunlight has a much smaller effect on me in the morning than computer light does in the evening.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#122

Post by 3pt14159 »

lj3 wrote: post #20
3pt14159 wrote: post #10

My father, brother and I all only need about 5 or 6 hours of sleep. We all just wake up, no matter when we go to bed or how light or dark the room is at night or in the morning. I strongly suspect we have that gene that lets you sleep less, but NYT is indicating that they think I'm depressed based on the embedded interactive. I don't feel depressed. Short of a genomic test, how can one differentiate?

Why is there a comment like this on every single HN post lately? Yes, you fall outside of the fat part of the bell curve. Congrats. What's your point? A single outlier does not disprove the post. edited to add: fat part of the bell curve , since being outside of the bell curve entirely is not what I meant.

1. This isn't a lately thing, this type of thing has been happening for the over eight years I've been here.

2. Around 1% of people have the gene I'm referring to. Telling them they are all depressed without bothering to mention the possibility of the gene is something I'd expect better of the NYT. Just sharing the comment provides alternate theories to other HN readers that don't feel depressed.

3. I'm not sure if you read to the end of my comment, but the point is right there in black and white: "Short of a genomic test, how can one differentiate?" It isn't just a question for me, it's a question that I'm sure many people going to the article might have, and it broadens the topic more generally.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#123

Post by stretchwithme »

miketery wrote: post #119
stretchwithme wrote: post #37

I don't know about sleep and depression. My Mom was bipolar and the topic never came up, other than her being up to all hours when she was manic. But I recently read an interesting article about vitamin D and that lead me to supplement magnesium and vitamins D, A and K. I only do it once every three days to be conservative. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/stop-vitamin-d And I've found I'm much more decisive and lik…

How did you decide which product to purchase for your supplements? Can you recommend any?

I just went to Whole Foods and bought the generics, except for the magnesium, where I bought a type that has good absorption. Many magnesium supplements do not.

I tried to avoid mega-dosing, so to ensure that I only supplement every third day. I was more concerned about any deficiencies.

And I went to Whole Foods because of that supplement scandal a couple of years ago. Whole Foods may charge a lot but is more trusted than GNC or Walmart, at least by me.

Here's what I use:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6qoDAnVsAANtQ0.jpg

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#124

Post by danieltillett »

petecox wrote: post #114
joecool1029 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of the children!!! EDIT: I should clarify that this is nearly always the argument brought up against year round DST, so that children during winter go to school with sunlight in the morning.

Spain has this issue. It is in the wrong timezone, which the government changed in the 1940s. Consequently it stays light until 6:30pm in winter. In mountainous regions such as Picos de Europa, towns in the valleys do have kids catching schoolbuses in near darkness at 8:30am. As a traveller I found the experience surreal. Although, we put the clocks forward an hour leading up to the 2000 Olympics so construction work…

The 2000 Olympics where held in Sydney :)

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#125

Post by stretchwithme »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #65
stretchwithme wrote: post #37

I don't know about sleep and depression. My Mom was bipolar and the topic never came up, other than her being up to all hours when she was manic. But I recently read an interesting article about vitamin D and that lead me to supplement magnesium and vitamins D, A and K. I only do it once every three days to be conservative. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/stop-vitamin-d And I've found I'm much more decisive and lik…

Do you mind me asking what age you are? >last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // Where do you live that gets light on December mornings?

I DO mind! I'm terribly offended!!

Just kidding. I'm 53.

My bedroom gets light at 6 am when I wake up and turn on the light net to my bed. :-)

So I have an alarm that goes off then. You just need to keep your eyes open for several minutes for the cells in your eyes to recognize that there is enough light to start shifting your circadian rhythm.

It really works. Just be sure to stick with it.

And to go right back to it if you forget. Habits are everything and some habits have a lot more power than others.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#126

Post by Judgmentality »

JasonSage wrote: post #121

> Most people’s natural cycle is somewhat longer than the 24-hour solar day, which means that, left to our own devices, we would get quickly get out of sync with the external world. I've always had very bad issues sleeping and waking "on time." In school this led to me regularly missing class and eventually dropping school entirely, and with regular work schedules I hardly ever got good sleep. A little while ago, I m…

With your sleep schedule constantly shifting, how do you manage day-to-day activities? You must have a job with very flexible hours for that to work. But even things like going to the store and seeing a doctor must be slightly more difficult if you might be asleep from morning to afternoon.

With 9 months of data, how consistently do you shift your schedule by 1 hour each day? I'd imagine there are fluctuations, but I guess if it's reliable you could schedule things on certain days.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#127

Post by stretchwithme »

manyxcxi wrote: post #79
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mind me asking what age you are? >last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // Where do you live that gets light on December mornings?

>>last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // >Where do you live that gets light on December mornings? It could just be that stretchwithme just turns on all the lights, etc. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I know all about waking up and leaving in the dark and coming home to the dark in the winter time. I do a similar thing in the mornings, though I didn't ever consciously decid…

That's exactly it. I turn on the light when the alarm goes off. And make sure my eyes are open.

You can even go back to sleep after ten minutes and your circadian rhythm will start making you feel like going to bed earlier. And you need to go to bed when you feel that effect.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#128

Post by jacquesm »

update wrote: post #12

> Tübingen who was hospitalized for depression and claimed that she normally kept her symptoms in check by taking all-night bike rides. He subsequently demonstrated in a group of depressed patients that a night of complete sleep deprivation produced an immediate, significant improvement in mood in about 60 percent of the group. I thought this bit was neat. I'd heard that sleep deprivation can bring on a feeling of eu…

It works, until you try to drive a car. And then you'll find that your reaction times and coordination are not what you think they are.

Personal experience, caused an accident when I was 23 this way and learned an important lesson: don't drive without having rested.

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#129

Post by posterboy »

sandworm101 wrote: post #111
posterboy wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally? Where do you live that lions would be a problem?! I'm joking, and sure there might be a trade off between higher and more basic brain functions, but I suppose those only really work for a short while, after which either will be impeded by exhaustion. Edit: what's the word for that state of mind, maybe frenzy?

Yes. Cougars (mountain lions) are a thing where i live. Also bear, black and brown. It is an extreemly rare event for anyone to be harmed, but i do run into bear regularly in the summer.

why wouldn't you build a fortification like a house to keep the beasts at bay?

Re: Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

#130

Post by egillie »

Judgmentality wrote: post #126
JasonSage wrote: post #121

> Most people’s natural cycle is somewhat longer than the 24-hour solar day, which means that, left to our own devices, we would get quickly get out of sync with the external world. I've always had very bad issues sleeping and waking "on time." In school this led to me regularly missing class and eventually dropping school entirely, and with regular work schedules I hardly ever got good sleep. A little while ago, I m…

With your sleep schedule constantly shifting, how do you manage day-to-day activities? You must have a job with very flexible hours for that to work. But even things like going to the store and seeing a doctor must be slightly more difficult if you might be asleep from morning to afternoon. With 9 months of data, how consistently do you shift your schedule by 1 hour each day? I'd imagine there are fluctuations, but I…

The ideal would be to work someplace like this http://www.space.com/17815-mars-rover-jet-lag.html with a 24 hours + 40 minute "day"
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