How depression affects our mornings and our circadian rhythm

The anatomy of depression is different, unique and exclusive to each person. However, in the midst of these terrible labyrinths deprived of darkness there is a coincidental element: the symptoms of this disease are devastating in the mornings, when the day begins and the person feels without strength, without desire, without breath… For a person with depression, every morning is an odyssey.

Patients who suffer from this type of disorder in any of its varieties (major depression, dysthymic disorder, associated with grief…) also agree on a very common idea. They wish they had another type of ailment whose symptoms were more visible, even physical… In this way, the suffering would be more evident and they would have a little more understandingof understanding in the face of other people’s gaze.

Say, for example, something as emphatic as “I am unable to get up in the morning” gives a clear clue to the psychologist or primary care doctor about what the person may be going through. However, in the eyes of co-workers, friends or even family, something like this can be interpreted as carelessness, laziness or even an excuse for not assuming your personal and work responsibilities.

Is not easy. A person with depression feels something similar to the impact of an internal cyclone: ​​it destroys everything and alters everything. A large part of our body’s processes slow down, metabolism, the perception of our reality and the neurochemistry that causes what is known as “diurnal variation in mood” changes.

Next, we will talk to you about her.

Good morning depression, again at my side

Andrea is 46 years old and is currently suffering a new relapse of her depression. although two years ago, he was able to successfully overcome it thanks to medication and psychotherapy. She herself has been able to identify the return of this uncomfortable shadow in her life due to a very specific fact: it was increasingly difficult for her to get up in the morning, every day her spirits escaped through the pipes of apathy and negativity, until that in the end, he knew it. The depression was back.

This known enemy usually intensifies its presence in those first hours through a series of very specific processes and dimensions. They are the following:

The diurnal variation in mood is characterized by waking up loaded with negative feelingsdejection and great physical fatigue, which generally improves weakly as the day progresses. According to several studies, Most people with depression have altered circadian rhythms.. Hormones such as melatonin and cortisol are released in a lower amount or at the wrong times. Something like this causes, for example, that The person with depression suffers from insomnia or even experiences some drowsiness during the day.In turn, this alteration in the circadian rhythms of the person with depression, can even make you feel colder in the mornings, experience low or no energy or even being unable to react to certain stimuli given their low level of alertness.

To this must be added another even more exhausting factor, and that is the clear feeling of not being able to cope with the day that has just begun. This helplessness and the security of not being able to handle one’s own responsibilities further increases the feeling that we are completely losing control of our lives.

How a person with depression faces the hardest moment of the day

Let’s return once again to our protagonist, to Andrea, this woman who currently must face a new episode of depression that she had neither anticipated nor expected to experience again. Although depression is an old acquaintance in her life, Do not hesitate to go back to your specialist to prescribe, first of all, the most appropriate drug for your particular case..

Something that we must be clear about is that people who experience more intense symptoms in the first hours of the day need a type of treatment that helps them regulate certain neurotransmitters that alter their circadian rhythms. In addition to pharmacological treatment, Andrea has established a series of routines in her life that will allow her to cope much better with her illness.

We explain them to you below.

Guidelines to deal with morning symptoms of depression

First of all, it is convenient to remember that both interpersonal therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be very useful to treat these types of disorders to which none of us are immune.

Our protagonist also decides, first of all, to go to her family doctor for an analysis.. You know that facts as specific as a problem in thyroid function, a low level of vitamin B12 or even a liver problem can cause or even increase this drop in mood and morning energy.

Later, Establish a routine program that begins with a series of morning stretches. As soon as she wakes up, and in her own room, she does 10 minutes of gentle yoga exercises. She then forces herself to shower and get dressed. What comes next is as simple as it is therapeutic: Andrea has someone she calls every morning on the phone for encouragement, strength and energy.. In his case it is his mother. However, each of us can count on that friendship that always supports us, with a brother or a reference person capable of helping us, motivating us. Next, Andrea has breakfast calmly and without rushing. She almost never feels like it, but she forces herself to do it because she knows that the brain needs that morning energy to function better.

Last but not least, set a time to meditate. 15 or 20 minutes is enough. It is an exceptional moment of connection with oneself where one can manage negative thoughts and emotions a little better. In this way, our protagonist achieves a little more internal calm, peace of mind and motivation to gradually face the challenges of her day.

We are sure that these simple tips can also be very useful to you.

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