How To Fight Fatigue And Depression

Prioritize Getting Good Sleep

Since depression may be causing you to have disordered sleeping habits, it can be helpful to develop better sleep habits.

Sleep hygiene pretty much just means good sleeping habits. Here are some ways of implementing sleep hygiene:

• Be consistent with sleep and wake times. Try going to bed at roughly the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning. This way, your body becomes accustomed to a certain routine that optimizes healthy sleeping.
• Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. You can experiment with different room temperatures or try out a white noise machine. With patience, you might discover the best room environment to promote sleep.
• Remove TVs, computers, and smartphones from the bedroom. This may seem like an impossible task sometimes, but avoiding harsh blue light will help you fall asleep faster.

How To Deal With Depression And Fatigue

Depression fatigue is an exhaustion like no other. Its all-encompassing and is almost as if your entire body is fighting hard to sleep no matter what time of day it is or what you are supposed to be doing. If you have depression, chances are high that you will experience this fatigue. Over 90 percent of people with major depression have depression fatigue .

Rest assured, you have the ability to begin to regain your energy starting now. You dont have to wait for your depression to be gone. And you just might discover that you improve both fatigue and depression as you follow the tips below.

How To Reach Out For Depression Support

Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you they just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.

Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they dont replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.

Try to keep up with social activities even if you dont feel like it. Often when youre depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.

Find ways to support others. Its nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find waysboth big and smallto help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.

Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being neededboth powerful antidotes to depression.

10 tips for staying connected

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If You Think It’s All About How Much You Sleep You Need To Read On

What does it mean to feel energetic?

Watching children play, adults marvel at their energy. Can’t we feel energetic as well? The answer is yes, although as we age, it is normal to experience less vigor. This fatigue is not entirely due to the physical process of aging. Stress increases as we agewe may have big mortgages, car payments, increasing responsibility at work, ill parents, medical conditions, or children to raise. And we often play lessthose who are younger are often better at prioritizing socializing, trying new things and having fun, while we can become bogged down in responsibility and forget to do the things that fill us up.

Adults also tend to decrease their activities as they get olderand less activity is associated with greater fatigue. It can mean poorer physical conditioning, too, which means that less activity is needed to produce muscle strain. Fatigue is functional it can help protect us against overexertion. However, our bodies are also sensitive to too little activity. So although fatigue is often associated with not wanting to do anything, paradoxically, sometimes we need to increase activity to shake off the cobwebs.Too often we take the cues of fatigue as a sign that we must do less.

What can we do to feel less fatigued?

Eat Little And Often Throughout The Day

Eating small meals and snacks can help to keep your energy up.

Experts recommend four to six small meals a day, which includes healthy snacks, to help keep your blood glucose steady.

Protein shakes, protein bars, or a handful of unsalted nuts make great snacking options, and are ideal before doing any exercise too.

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Troubleshoot Your Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is the term used to describe healthy sleep habits or behaviors you can practice that may help improve your ability to fall asleep and remain sleeping through the night.2 Following good sleep hygiene can improve the quality and quantity of sleep you get each night. It also plays a significant role in your physical and mental health.

To help improve your sleep hygiene, make sure to follow a nightly routine that allows time for relaxing activities. Finding ways to unwind before bed may allow you to quiet your mind, relax your body, and get a better night of sleep. Also, aim to get up and go to bed around the same time each day. Limit or eliminate electronics in the evening hours and shut down all screens at least 60 minutes before bed.

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Overcoming Mental Exhaustion: Causes Symptoms And How To Cope

If getting out of bed after a good nights sleep feels impossible sometimes, you might be suffering from mental exhaustion. The constant tiredness that comes with this mental exhaustion can make it feel impossible to overcome. Youre not alone – nearly 75% of workers have reported similar feelings since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Exercise Is Something You Can Do Right Now To Boost Your Mood

Your fatigue will improve if you stick with it. Starting to exercise can be difficult when youre depressed and feeling exhausted. But research shows that your energy levels will improve if you keep with it. Exercise will help you to feel energized and less fatigued, not more.

Find exercises that are continuous and rhythmic. The most benefits for depression come from rhythmic exercisesuch as walking, weight training, swimming, martial arts, or dancingwhere you move both your arms and legs.

Add a mindfulness element, especially if your depression is rooted in unresolved trauma or fed by obsessive, negative thoughts. Focus on how your body feels as you movesuch as the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, or the feeling of the wind on your skin, or the rhythm of your breathing.

Pair up with an exercise partner. Not only does working out with others enable you to spend time socializing, it can also help to keep you motivated. Try joining a running club, taking a water aerobics or dance class, seeking out tennis partners, or enrolling in a soccer or volleyball league.

Take a dog for a walk.If you dont own a dog, you can volunteer to walk homeless dogs for an animal shelter or rescue group. Youll not only be helping yourself but also be helping to socialize and exercise the dogs, making them more adoptable.

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Assess The Parts Instead Of Generalizing The Whole

Depression can tinge recollections with difficult emotions. You may find yourself focusing on things that are unhelpful or perceived as difficult.

Try to stop this overgeneralization. Push yourself to recognize the good. If it helps, write down what was meaningful about the event or day. You can track what you achieved that day, and which activities were enjoyable.

Seeing the weight youre giving to one thing may help you direct your thoughts away from the whole and to the individual pieces that were helpful.

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Know That Today Isnt Indicative Of Tomorrow

Internal emotions and thoughts can change from day to day. Tracking experiences through journaling or keeping a mood diary can help to remember this.

If you were unsuccessful at getting out of bed or accomplishing your goals today, remember that you havent lost tomorrows opportunity to try again.

Give yourself the grace to accept that while some days will be difficult, some days will also be less difficult. Try to look forward to tomorrows fresh start.

How Chronic Fatigue Affects You

Fatigue can be a serious and debilitating symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. Those who suffer from chronic fatigue report that it makes them feel so physically exhausted that everyday tasks of life become a burden. They report that their limbs feel heavy, weak and are difficult to move.

Fatigue also affects ones ability to focus, making it difficult to perform daily tasks at home, work or school. It may also be challenging to pay attention during conversations. Chronic Fatigue can lead to decreased workplace productivity, social isolation, and depression.

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Inflammation And Changes In The Brain

The role of inflammation in depression and fatigue has led researchers to examine the effects that peripheral inflammation has on the CNS. Some changes occur at the level of the blood brain barrier , which separates the CNS parenchyma from the peripheral blood circulation. TNF cause changes in the endothelial cells constituting the BBB, resulting in reduced tight junction protein expression, larger extracellular gaps and increased permeability in animal models and in vitro, all of which are restored by treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs . An increase in proinflammatory cytokine levels including TNF have occurred in patients who have suffered from a myocardial infarction and is associated with disruption of the BBB integrity in animal models and elevated rates of depression . CNS inflammation has also demonstrated that it disrupts the BBB in both MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalitis , allowing for easier entry of both cytokines and immune cells into the brain . This increased permeability of the BBB may be one of the reasons why patients with immune-mediated diseases like MS have worse psychological symptoms compared to those with other chronic disorders.

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Focus On Fresh Air And Light

Brightening your environment with light can do wonders for your mood and energy. Open all the blinds in your house. Get outdoors and take a walk. If the weather is not cooperating or you are unable to leave the house, sit by a window while reading or working on a computer.

You may also want to consider purchasing a light box , which allows you to do light therapy. This is one of the treatment modalities for Seasonal Affective Disorder . A doctor or mental health expert can recommend an individualized treatment plan to follow while using light therapy.

To treat SAD with light therapy, the National Institute of Mental Health recommends sitting in front of a light box for 30 to 45 minutes, first thing in the morning. Most people use a light box from fall to spring.

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How Do You Assess The Symptoms Of Fatigue In Mdd

Dr. Fava: First, I want to confirm that the patient actually has a diagnosis of MDD. There may be some patients who complain of many symptoms of fatigue but do not have MDD, or there may be some patients with comorbid illnesses that include some depressive symptoms and fatigue, but are not truly MDD. Second, it is really important to differentiate between symptoms of fatigue that have been caused by the drugs we are using to treat the MDD in contrast to symptoms that are present as residual symptoms of MDD.

I begin my assessment by obtaining a careful, detailed history of all of the symptoms that existed prior to the initiation of treatment, followed by identifying any symptoms that have persisted despite treatment, and then I ask about any new symptoms that have emerged during treatment. Treatment-emergent symptoms may or may not be caused by the medications we are using, but it is important to differentiate whether these symptom are new or were preexisting to the treatment. Obviously, it is also important to explore whether the residual symptoms are more or less severe than they were before treatment commenced.

patients with residual fatigue are more likely to get depressed again despite continued prophylactic treatment. There is a much greater likelihood that patients with MDD who have residual symptoms like fatigue will also have work, school, and/or social difficulties.

Why Depression Makes You Tired And How To Deal With Fatigue

• Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of depression.
• If you are depressed, itâs likely that you will lack energy and feel tired physically, emotionally, and cognitively.
• Depression can also make sleep less restful and restorative hereâs how to get better sleep and feel less tired.
• This article was medically reviewed by David A. Merrill, MD, PhD, psychiatrist and director of the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint Johnâs Health Center.
• This story is part of Insiderâs guide to Depression.

For people with depression, feeling tired is an all-too-common symptom. âTiredness or fatigue is one of the hallmarks of depression,â says Amy Ricke, MD, of Your Doctors Online.

With depression, energy levels dip, and many of the symptoms, such as profound sadness and loneliness, can further exacerbate fatigue. Hereâs why depression makes you tired, how to tell if itâs the cause of your fatigue, and how you can feel more refreshed and well-rested.

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How To Fight Fibromyalgia Fatigue

Besides pain, anxiety and mental fog, fibromyalgia patients may also suffer from chronic fatigue symptoms. But natural remedies can go a long way toward restoring lost energy. Heres an expert guide to what really works for fibromyalgia fatigueOn bad days, Holly Scott can barely drag herself out of bed, shuffle to the couch and sit down. Ordinary activities seem virtually impossible.When my fibromyalgia flares up, I miss my daughters soccer games and dance recitals, says the 39-year-old Tucson mother of two. Im too tired even to sit through a movie with my husband. Scotts exhaustion is typical of fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread muscle pain and tenderness, and can often bring about debilitating fatigue.Thats the result of the body trying to fight chronic pain both physically and mentally, says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! and a leading expert on both fibromyalgia support and chronic fatigue. After a flare-up, women with fibromyalgia find themselves with lagging energy levels because theyve spent a great deal of battling the depression and emotional anguish associated with the disease, Dr. Teitelbaum says.

For optimum fibromyalgia support, meditate at least once a day for a minimum of 10 minutes, Dr. Yee suggests.Build up to twice a day: once in the morning and once at night.Heres how to get started:

What Depression Looks Like

Depression looks different in every person, but there are some common symptoms beyond general sadness and down feelings that might help you better answer whether you have it or not.

In men, the symptoms of depression can manifest differently than in women in a few key ways, according to the NIMH. Men are more likely to be tired, irritable or angry, may have sleep and motivation problems, behave recklessly, and abuse substances.

Signs of depression form a long, long list, but some of the common ones are losing interest in things you once enjoyed, weight fluctuations, irritability, suicidal thoughts, fatigue, hopelessness, as well as physiological symptoms like headaches, cramps, and digestive problems.

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Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

Cause No : Depression

Depression is also a significant cause of fatigue. In fact many people still regard it only as an emotional disorder but its symptoms can include headaches, loss of appetite and fatigue. If you see yourself tired and emotionally drained for most of the time, then see your doctor as the depression may be a cause for it.

Remedy: With the growing urban lifestyle, depression is taking an increasing number of people in its grip. Depression is curable and can be treated with counselling and/or medication. Thus, check the symptoms in you and see a psychiatrist if needed.

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Rule Out Health Problems

Fatigue is a common symptom of many illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, anemia, thyroid disease, and sleep apnea. Talk to your doctor if you feel unusually tired.

Many medications can contribute to fatigue. These include some blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, diuretics, and other drugs. If you begin to experience fatigue after starting a new medication, tell your doctor.