Posted by OldSchool on February 3, 2002, at 14:57:34
In reply to Sleep and depression, posted by sid on February 3, 2002, at 11:57:21
> Hello all,
>
> when depressed, unlike the majority of depressive people, I sleep too much and eat too much carbs. When I say sleep too much, I mean 10 hours+. If there is no disruption, I could sleep 16 hours nonstop. And during my major depresison, I never remembered a dream, as if I didn't dream. I'd wake up groggy and feel sleepy for a few more hours, no matter how many hours I had slept (8 vs. 16).
>
> That got better as the major depression lifted, but I still tended to sleep a lot (10 hours if no disruption, 8 otherwise; less than 8 hours, I had trouble functioning), and I never remembered a dream.
>
> Now I'm on Effexor XR for dysthymia and anxiety, although I am still at a low dose - unsure if it's effective yet. One of the side effects I've experienced (the most enduring one) is insomnia. I sleep less, sometimes having trouble to sleep at all. And I remember more dreams when I wake up, or perhaps I dream more altogether?
>
> Does anyone know what happened when I slept so much during the major depression, and why I seem to remember more dreams these days? I don't want to get back to the sleepy head I used to be, but I do need to sleep more than I have lately if I want to keep my job. And I don't understand what is going on. Gravol seems to help some nights (thanks IsoM for the suggestion), but not always. Basically, I'd like to understand better why my sleep pattern is so intricately linked to my depression history and now to my medical treatment.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> - sidAt least you could sleep during your major depression. I couldnt sleep at all. My sleep "locked up" on me totally. Total insomnia without taking drugs to knock me out. Id be super tired and sleepy, but couldnt fall asleep. Talk about a living hell. Also I had severe night sweating, Id have to take benzos or low dose trazodone at bedtime to knock me out into this shitty, shallow sleep. Id jerk awake repeatedly during the night and my bed would be soaked in sweat. My covers would be all over the place and my bed pushed about three feet from the wall.
Talk about existing in a world of shit.
Remeron changed all of the above. First Remeron I took and it was zzzzzzz time. Thank God for Remeron, its a wonder drug.
Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:92702
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020131/msgs/92719.html