One of the symptoms of depression is having trouble waking up in the morning called morning depression. This is not a separate diagnosis from depression but a symptom that should not be ignored. If you do not do anything to treat morning depression, you will continue to be in a lousy mood all day and feel no energy to do the things you enjoy doing with the people you love.

Morning depression is a symptom that comes with major depression. It is when you experience extreme sadness, frustration, anger, and fatigue during the day. A normal circadian rhythm entails being sleepier at night and more awake during the day. Your body tends to make cortisol in the morning to be energized during the day and when the sun sets, your body releases melatonin which makes you sleepy.

When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your hormones start at the wrong time of the day. This can bring about a negative impact on your physical health and your emotional well-being. You can end up feeling tired and irritable for the rest of the day. You can have trouble getting out of bed, lack of energy starting the day, trouble doing morning activities like making breakfast or getting ready, intense frustration, and sleeping longer than usual. If you visit a doctor, you may not get a full diagnosis of morning depression since this is a symptom of major depression but you will be asked about your sleeping patterns and mood changes during the day.

There is medication you cake take like serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like Effexor. Talk therapy is also effective in addressing issues that may contribute to your depression like relationship issues, work stress, or negative thought patterns. Light therapy boxes emit bright light to limit the natural outdoor light to affect the chemicals in your brain linked to mood. Electroconvulsive therapy involves electric currents passing through your brain to intentionally trigger a seizure. This can change your brain chemistry to reverse depressive symptoms. To make sure that you do not experience morning depression, keep your circadian rhythms in balance by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day even if it means setting an alarm. Make sure you sleep free of distractions when you sleep by keeping the room dark and silent. By getting a good night’s sleep, you will wake up in the morning feeling happy.

Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Center’s mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat a number of substance abuse disorders along with anxiety and depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery. For more information, please call us at 888 570 7154 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.