Sleep problems? Do you have problems falling asleep or problems staying asleep? I'm just wondering if there is a connection between depression and being able to stay asleep at night and if there is anything that can help one have a better night's sleep.

Also, on another note, is there any of you that find all depressive pills tried inaffective?

I know there is definitely a link between depression and sleeping problems. I don't have trouble falling asleep, but I'm a very light sleeper and the slightest noise wakes me up and then I can't go back to sleep. I also have to struggle to get out of bed every morning when my alarm goes off. I always hit the snooze button at least 5 times. However, I have been on Effexor XR for about 2 months now, and I am feeling so much better. My sleeping problems are improving too.

My sleep tends to go in waves, one night i'll sleep loads the next 2 hours, it sucks! Have been taking medication for 4 days now so hopefully should see improvements soon!

Yes, I do have a lot of trouble getting to sleep. And I haven't had much luck with antidepressants. The only one that's helped at all is Effexor, and it isn't nearly as helpful as I'd hoped it would be. The others I tried (Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Paxil) did nothing. Actually, I'm taking Wellbutrin along with the Effexor. I've never taken Effexor alone, so I don't know if it would work just as well on its own.

While I was taking Zoloft, I had no problems falling asleep - staying awake was the problem! :)

yeah sleep is def affected, i think with me and prob most people too, when ur depressed, so much is going on in ur mind, ie thinking of the things that depress u , that the mind is too 'clogged' to sleep properly. i found that switching taking my prozac to nite time helped me sleep slightly better, altho saying that im finding it hard to sleep now tho :(

Brett :angel:

I've always had a hard time falling asleep...ever since I was little and I've always been a light sleeper. When my depression hit I got really bad insomnia and can't sleep without taking medication. Sometimes I still have trouble sleeping with the meds. :nono:

Sleep problems are one of the main sympoms of depression and is included in the DSM criteria for diagnosing depression. See http://www.allaboutdepression.com/dia_12.html#4 for further information.

My hope is that you will talk with your psychiatrist about this. There are numerous antidepressants that can help (I myself supplement my main antidepressant—Effexor XR—with Desyrel, which is a light antidepressant and sleep aid).

When I first started out, I kept a sleep journal so that I could show my doctor when I was having trouble. An added bonus: I saw that I was not going to bed at the same time each night and so on, and worked on it over time.

Good luck to you! The more you can do about getting proper sleep, the better you will feel.

Best, T. :)

Yes, my sleep is definitely affected, when I'm depressed (it comes and goes in waves--I'll be really good for a month or so, then extremely depressed for months). I've always had a lot of trouble falling asleep, though (ever since I was a kid). I seem to have a lot of racing thoughts, at night. But during times when I'm really, really depressed, I wake up multiple times during the night/morning (depending on what time I fall asleep), and then I have a horrible time actually getting out of bed. Today I didn't have to go to work (luckily), so I didn't manage to get out of bed until 2pm.... It's sad, I know.

Whiskers :wave:

I agree with REDANDRED; Desryl has been a life-saver for me. Got Post-partum depression with both my girls, and the Desryl still works (I get the generic form, trazadone.) It's an AD , but taken in small doses it acts as a sleep aid. And you don't build up a tolerance it seems-I've been on it for four years now.

I have major problems sleeping too. Sometimes I manage to get to sleep OK, but then I wake up several times in the night and find it hard to get back to sleep then. Plus I always wake up really early every morning. And unfortunately I'm one of those people that needs at least 8 hours sleep. But that's not happened for a few months now. No wonder I'm always so tired!