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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on October 11, 2004, at 21:06:33
I know I've been a one note poster lately, and I'm sorry. My brain is really just a one note brain lately, and my posts reflect that.
I noticed a long time ago that my anxiety peaks at 3 am or 4 am depending on daylight savings time, regardless of what time I go to bed. My hypomania is probably most obvious late evening to early morning. And now I'm noticing that hopelessness/depression/whatever I'm feeling right now is worst in the mornings.
My whole sleep schedule has shifted since I've been depressed to what the world would view as a much healthier one. I'm normally a night owl, and now I'm an early bird. But the first few (long few, not short few) hours after sleep are a nightmare. I'm lost in hopelessness and despair. By evening I feel almost human, unless a migraine has struck me, and they're mostly striking in the afternoon and evening. And I fall to sleep at what is for me an unusually early hour and wake up to start the whole thing all over again.
Does anyone else experience peaks in emotions like this? Ones that are more related to time of day than events?
Posted by alexandra_k on October 11, 2004, at 21:17:53
In reply to Are emotions associated with time of day?, posted by Dinah on October 11, 2004, at 21:06:33
My distress is typically most intense in the late evening and early morning. Even on a good day I still spend a couple of hours in bed crying in the morning and evenings...
I think it has something to do with my mind kind of ranging over stuff not so much under my control and so I tend to ruminate on unhelpful stuff. But then I don't seem to be able to stop it at these times whereas I have more control over it at others.
Posted by Dinah on October 11, 2004, at 22:07:03
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day?, posted by alexandra_k on October 11, 2004, at 21:17:53
Hmmm... You may have something there. It's hard to control what you're thinking while you're asleep. So if I wake up feeling hopeless and despondent, it may take a while to gently guide my thoughts out of that deep rut and into work or an enthusiasm. So by nighttime, I've steered myself away from the ruminations only to have them crop up overnight again.
Posted by mi nación malvada on October 11, 2004, at 22:26:18
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day?, posted by alexandra_k on October 11, 2004, at 21:17:53
There are circadian rhythms that are reputed to affect emotions. Circadian rhythms are usually associated with cosmic cycles, not with cycles in human activity.
Late-night anxiety often correlates, though not necesarily causally, with changes in anthropogenic sources of stimulation. Modern humans constantly perform behaviors that would be considered aggressive if performed by animals. They make constant loud sounds with there locomotion machines; they invade the darkness with light that intrudes on others; they produce obnoxious gasses, ranging from grossly contrived food smells to perfume smells intended to affect emotion to noxious gasses associated with industrial processes. In short, we have become a loud, stinking obnoxious species. When this all quiets down, late at night, there could be some anxiety. Maybe we are comforted by the company of our out-of-control species and its constant obnoxious invasion of our senses, much the way kidnap victims often develop a bond with their captors. When the noise and light and stench fades in the stillness of sweet nighttime, we may become anxious because of our separation from a source of comfort we know in our innermost mind to be sick.
Posted by alexandra_k on October 11, 2004, at 23:08:41
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day? » alexandra_k, posted by Dinah on October 11, 2004, at 22:07:03
> Hmmm... You may have something there. It's hard to control what you're thinking while you're asleep. So if I wake up feeling hopeless and despondent, it may take a while to gently guide my thoughts out of that deep rut and into work or an enthusiasm. So by nighttime, I've steered myself away from the ruminations only to have them crop up overnight again.
Do you have difficulty getting to sleep, and /or do you have trouble with waking up early? I have difficulty getting to sleep because I have difficulty 'letting my mind go'. I tend to ruminate on distressing events. Even when I do 'let my mind go' as is required for sleep, I tend to still get caught up in ruminations. There is also little to help distract oneself from the distress when one is trying to get to sleep!
I know that when I am tired (also hungry etc) my emotions are more intense, and I find it harder to steer my thoughts in healthy directions.
It sounds like you are having a hard time of it at the moment. I do hope that things get better for you soon.
Posted by Cass on October 11, 2004, at 23:51:23
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day?, posted by mi nación malvada on October 11, 2004, at 22:26:18
I agree with much of what you said. Krishnamurti once wrote, "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Posted by Fi on October 12, 2004, at 14:08:01
In reply to Are emotions associated with time of day?, posted by Dinah on October 11, 2004, at 21:06:33
Apologies if I am just repeating what others have said (I havent read all the messages).
I know that the kind of variation you mention is also what I go thru, more or less, and I've spoken to several people who are the same.
For me, mornings are awful when I am depressed. Sometimes there are literally a couple of seconds when I am first waking up that seem reasonable, then boom with all the nasties. At first, I can feel like that all day, but as I start to recover there is a variation and I start to feel better from early evening. The problem then is making myself go to bed, as I feel reasonable in the evening and know I will feel awful the next morning...
When I am ill, I also find that I am desperate to take naps during the day (or sleep in) as I am so tired, and its so hard work. But I feel really bad when I wake up after that.
Anyway, boils down to saying I get that variation too.
Fi
Posted by verne on October 12, 2004, at 16:41:50
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day? » Dinah, posted by Fi on October 12, 2004, at 14:08:01
Fi,
I have atypical depression and my life revolves around my bed. Like you, I feel worse after going back to bed or after a long nap. I can sleep like Rip VW.
Lately, in my fourth week of cymbalta, I'm doing better staying out of bed during the day.
A little over a year ago I developed "frozen shoulder" (both shoulders) because I spent so much time in bed. This malady took nearly a year to clear up.
I just bought some brain-wave CD's - alpha, thetha, and delta sets that may help. I do better when I meditate (alpha and thetha sets for that). The delta set is for sleep and the reviews were very positive at amazon. I've just been too lazy to get my bedroom mini-stereo hooked-up and try 'em.
verne
Posted by Fi on October 14, 2004, at 15:06:17
In reply to Re: Are emotions associated with time of day? » Fi, posted by verne on October 12, 2004, at 16:41:50
Verne
Thank you so much for that message- its really good to hear someone else shares your experience. And it made me smile with recognition and your lovely sense of humour!
I tend to sleep for about 22 hours a day on the first day of one of my short bouts.During one of those a few weeks back I actually managed to graze my elbow, just from leaning on it to turn over so many times!
Well done so much on staying out of bed more- I do very much understand the magnetic power of bed. I've used tactics I have heard of from others, like having an alarm clock you cant reach from bed, or drinking enough water you just have to get up reasonably often! But both assume that once you have got out of bed, you will stay out of bed...
Good luck with the CDs!
Fi
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