Does anyone get extremely cold right before crashing? So cold that no matter what you do you can't get warm and it doesn't matter if it is the dead of winter of mid-August. That's how I know I am about to downward spiral. I have asked my Therapist and Psychiatrist about this and they have never heard of it happening to anyone else.
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4/ 9/10 11:35am
Hi, Kyred. Your instincts are correct, but a lot more research needs to be done, which would explain why your clinicians never heard of it. As I understand things - and my knowledge is very sketchy on this - thermal dysregulation, sleep dysregulation, and mood dysregulation may be biologically related.
Basically, our sleep reflexes kick in at night, when it gets colder and it helps to stay cooled down at night. When our sleep is thrown out, all kinds of bad things happen moodwise.
It seems that melatonin can regulate both body temperature and sleep. You may want to consider this, in an extended release form.
Now I don't know if this applies to you, but yes, you have obviously spotted a clear relationship between your body temperature and your mood. Even if this isn't happening with anyone else - but I'm sure it is - it is happening with you.
You may have to do some experimenting on your own. For instance, hot bath if you feel cold. Cold bath if you feel hot. Maybe less bed covers, maybe more. Maybe a fan aimed at your head at night (the earlobes are major heat regulators), maybe sleeping with a knitted cap.
You have brought up something very major here. There are no clear answers. Everyone is different. But maybe we can learn more if readers share their experiences. Readers, please jump in.
In the meantime, please keep us posted.
11/19/12 12:26pm
i have the same problem. i can tell if my mood will be good or bad depending on my body temerature in the morning. my hands and feel especially. sometimes my hands and feet will get tingly, like they are going to sleep.
5/30/10 9:39pm
Good morning from Japan
I (native German) am running here in Japan a tiny acupuncture clinic. Actually I do have a patient, who is under treatment for a variety of disorders, but the main thing is insomnia, for which she (68) is treated for years already in a department of psychiatry. Treatment = medication; many changes so far, but no effect/improvement. The physician in charge apparently has issued the verdict, that this is **NOT** depression.
Recently the trend has become much more marked and almost prevents treatment of this patient with other patients together:
she says, she feels very cold on the one hand, but moving the little finger will cause her to break into sweat, complaining of being very hot. During the treatment I have to raise the room temperature to something like 26-27 degrees Celsius AND cover her up with 5-6 layers of towels. And she still complains, she is cold.
Yet, touching her body feels like it is burning up = very hot!
I have been wondering what this may be attributed to (there is of course an oriental medical view), but could not really figure it out. Quite lately I considered the possibility of thyroid disease. But your comment about the correlation between depression - body temperature - sleep (and melatonin) has been revealing. Thank you. Now I going to try and find whatever there is in scientific research into this phenomenon.
(Apart from the usual acupuncture, moxibustion treatment + plus very long (and for me exhausting talks) I have repeatedly recommended that she does some exercise like for example walking, but this has not yet born any fruit; unfortunately.
If I do find something else out, I will let you know.
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By kyred72— Last Modified: 11/19/12, First Published: 04/07/10
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OH THANK YOU!! I have searched the web high and low looking for someone, anyone who has found this link between being cold and being depressed. Posted the question on numerous message boards and I have never gotten a response. I have never noticed that I have a rise in temperature with a mania...pretty sure I am too busy thinking and buzzing around to even pay attention. I think I will try to make a conscious effort to pay attention when I am UP too!