Sleep Disorders Linked To Depression
Sleep Disorders Linked To Depression
Doctors may sometimes treat depression and insomnia by prescribing an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or other antidepressant along with a sedating antidepressant or with a hypnotic medication (medication that helps people sleep).
Antidepressants include:
Hypnotics include:
The over-the-counter hormone melatonin also is sometimes recommended for insomnia or sleep disrupted by depression. A prescription drug called Rozerem binds to the same brain receptor as melatonin and is another medication strategy for treating insomnia. Another unique sleep drug is called Belsomra. It's the first approved drug in a class called orexin receptor antagonists.
In addition to trying medications, here are some tips to improve sleep:
Sleep Disorders: Sleep Problems Linked to Depression
In this article
- What Is Depression?
- How Are Sleep and Depression Linked?
- What Treatments Are Available for Depression-Related Insomnia?
- Medications
- What Other Techniques Can Help With Sleep?
Medications
Doctors may sometimes treat depression and insomnia by prescribing an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or other antidepressant along with a sedating antidepressant or with a hypnotic medication (medication that helps people sleep).
Antidepressants include:
- SSRIs like Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa and Paxil. These medications can perform double duty for patients by helping them sleep and elevating their mood, though some people taking these drugs may have trouble sleeping. For some people, however, SSRIs can cause insomnia and are therefore usually prescribed in the morning, sometimes with an additional medicine on a short-term basis to help people sleep at night.
- SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) like Effexor, Pristiq, Khedezla, Fetzima, and Cymbalta. These medicines affect two neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) thought to be involved in depression -- serotonin and norepinephrine -- and are sometimes favored when an SSRI is not effective or when depression occurs with other problems such as pain disorders or certain forms of anxiety.
- Tricyclic antidepressants such as Pamelor and Elavil.
- Sedating antidepressants such as Trazodone, Remeron, and Silenor.
Hypnotics include:
The over-the-counter hormone melatonin also is sometimes recommended for insomnia or sleep disrupted by depression. A prescription drug called Rozerem binds to the same brain receptor as melatonin and is another medication strategy for treating insomnia. Another unique sleep drug is called Belsomra. It's the first approved drug in a class called orexin receptor antagonists.
What Other Techniques Can Help With Sleep?
In addition to trying medications, here are some tips to improve sleep:
- Learn and practice relaxation and deep breathing techniques.
- Clear your head of concerns by writing a list of activities that need to be completed the next day and tell yourself you will think about it tomorrow.
- Avoid daytime naps, which may just rob you of your night time "sleep debt."
- Get regular exercise no later than a few hours before bedtime.
- Do not spend time looking at television or looking at computer screens before bedtime because the light emission from display screens can interfere with the release of the brain chemical melatonin, which is a signal to the sleep centers in the brain that it is time for bed.
- Don't use caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine in the evening.
- Don't lie in bed tossing and turning. When you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing. When you start feeling like you may be able to sleep, get back in bed.
- Use the bed only for sleeping and sexual activity. Don't lie in bed to watch TV or read. This way, your bed becomes a cue for sleeping, not for lying awake.
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