A person suffering from morning depression at the beginning of the day feels more depressed than at other times of the day and starts the first hours of the day with frustration, anger, fatigue and sadness. From a scientific point of view, morning depression is known as unstable mood changes in daily mood and separates it from seasonal depression. Morning depression can be considered one of the important symptoms of major depression, so ignoring it makes the person’s condition worse and treatment becomes difficult. While you can cure your depression and prevent its chronic and basic type by doing simple solutions and actions.
What is Morning Depression?
Have you ever experienced morning sickness? This problem is more common in people with major depressive disorder. Morning depression causes symptoms of depression to appear more in the morning than at other times of the day, such as extreme sadness, hopelessness, anger, or fatigue. Remember that depression is different from seasonal affective disorder and has nothing to do with mood changes due to changing seasons. These days, morning depression is one of the common symptoms of depression.
Symptoms of morning depression
The most basic symptom of depression is loss of interest in past favorite activities. In fact, in morning depression, the symptoms of depression are more intense in the early morning, and a person suffering from morning depression will feel better by the end of the night. Among the symptoms of this type of depression, the following can be mentioned:
- Difficulty waking up and getting out of bed
- lack of energy to start the day
- Difficulty performing simple tasks such as showering and making tea
- Sleep too much
- Delay and difficulty in thinking and planning
- Inattention or lack of concentration
- Great disappointment
- Change in appetite (eating more or less than usual)
As the morning passes, the above symptoms decrease and the condition improves.
Causes of morning depression
Circumstance-induced depression can happen to anyone in different situations. Experts have not yet found a definitive cause for morning depression. But the most effective factor in the onset of morning depression is considered to be a disturbance in the body’s circadian rhythm (biological body clock).
biological clock of the body; It is a process that manages all the activities of sleep and wakefulness, level of alertness and body metabolism. Disturbance in this system causes lack of energy supply in the early hours of the morning, and as a result, people feel depressed. One of the most important hormones influencing this process is melatonin, which makes a person feel sleepy.
Among the other effective factors in the occurrence of morning depression, the following can be mentioned:
1. History of depression in the family
2. Alcohol consumption and drug cases
3. Suffering from diseases such as anxiety disorder and chronic pain
4. History of unpleasant mental and physical incidents in life
Diagnosing morning depression
To diagnose morning depression, psychologists ask questions about a person’s mood during the day. Also, the general state of sleep, weight and appetite are also examined. The specialist estimates the probability of recovery based on the duration of the symptoms and according to the person’s prognosis. Of course, because many drugs can cause symptoms of depression, the medical history and medications taken should also be provided to the doctor.
Treatment of morning depression
If there are thoughts of suicide or self-harm, you should be referred to a psychologist as soon as possible. There are many treatments for depression, the most commonly used of which are as follows:
1. Psychotherapy
In psychotherapy, a person is helped to recognize his negative and wrong thought patterns and replace them with positive patterns. In treatment sessions, the patient is evaluated in all aspects and the best treatment is adopted.
2. Drug therapy
Treatment with anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs is effective in reducing symptoms, but on the other hand, trial and error takes a lot of time to find the best drug. Also, drug treatment is not done definitively.
3. Brain stimulation
Brain stimulation is used in acute conditions and special diseases. Among the methods of brain stimulation, we can mention electroshock and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. In some cases, this method has also had favorable results in the treatment of major and chronic depressions.
Effective strategies in the treatment of morning depression
By using some simple solutions, you can improve your morning depression to a great extent. These solutions include:
1. Sufficient sleep and rest
If you sleep on time and enough at night, your depression and moodiness in the morning will be significantly reduced. To have a comfortable and high-quality sleep at night, you can completely darken your room and remove disturbing stimuli such as noise, television, and mobile phones. Waking up after a good 8-hour sleep increases your sense of vitality and removes your depression.
2. Adequate preparation
Do all your tasks for the next day before going to sleep. For example, prepare your clothes and make them available. In this case, your energy and desire to wake up will increase.
3. Exercise
Regular exercise, especially in open environments, reduces the symptoms of morning depression. Exercising in the morning reduces insomnia and gives vitality.
4. Light therapy
Light has a great and beneficial effect on the human spirit. To reduce morning depression, open the curtains and expose yourself to sunlight after waking up.
Other effective methods for treating depression include acupuncture, meditation and yoga. These20
activities can have a great impact on your recovery and vitality, but they should not be a definite substitute for medical treatment.
