The link between sleep deprivation and psychiatric disorders

Deborah Gray is the creator of the Wing of Madness depression site Living With It Creator, Wing of Madness Deborah Gray lived with undiagnosed clinical depression, both major... Send Message Subscribe: Deborah Gray

Thursday, December 06, 2007
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Regular exercise is extremely beneficial for improving the quality of your sleep. Even a short daily walk will help.
Stress is definitely an enemy of a good night's sleep. Try de-stressing with meditation or yoga or any activity that lowers your stress level.
If you are not taking antidepressants or an herbal antidepressant like St. John's Wort, and with your doctor's knowledge, try taking melatonin, a natural sleep aid, in a low dose of about .5 mg (high doses can actually be counterproductive). Melatonin is a substance normally produced by our bodies when our retinas perceive darkness.

Now, oddly enough, sleep deprivation has been used to treat depression, with some success. However, the benefits that are gained from this treatment disappear once the person gets a good night's sleep, so at this point sleep deprivation is not a practical treatment for depression, but it does hint at some interesting possibilities.