Can poor sleep genuinely make you depressed?

[Londonlady92]

My 2.9 year old hasn't slept for 9 weeks out of the blue, was always a good sleeper before that.

Im starting to feel like i am depressed and the no sleep is what has caused it. She is miserable all day due to poor sleep and there is no joy in the days or nights anymore.

Oh and:

Can poor sleep genuinely make you depressed?

Yes, absolutely.

External factors are often one of the key triggers for (genuine) mental health issues. Medication or councilling well help you cope with the situation as it is. Then when sleep is no longer an issue, you could stop the medication or whatever.

Certainly don't avoid getting proper help for your depression just because there is an obvious cause for it.

Thanks for the advise @FATEdestiny she will usually stay awake talking and singing for 2 hours then start crying when she's bored of that, not actually falling to sleep on her own.

Its bizzare because she has self settled from 3 months old and goes to bed without a fuss its just a mystery to me.

Sleep deprivation is unbelievably tough, it was used as a form of torture in WW2!!!! It can make you feel like you are living in a constant fog and extremely down....

I'm sorry that you are going through this, it's so hard, especially with very little support.

I'm sure you have tried absolutely everything and anything to stop the cycle, but is your daughter an active child? Could you enrol her onto some clubs? Swimming, dancing or something to burn off energy (not going to lie the first couple of times will be tough for you both because she will be grumpy and you'll be knackered?)

Might be worth a shot?

Hope it doesn't sound at all patronising because it's not meant too (whilst I was in the fog, someone made a comment in a shop about my son crying and i was either going to cry my eyes out or punch her square in the face)

X

@DiscoDinoBooBoo doesn't sound patronising at all ill take all the ideas I can get!

We are usually always at the park in the mornings or I make sure shes had a long walk through the country park it doesn't seem to make any difference of she has a busy day or lazy one.

I've put her to bed later tonight at 7.30 to see if that helps but I highly doubt it.

Last night was the worst of all I cried and cried to my husband at 2am. I wouldn't wish this torture on anyone!

@Londonlady92 I honestly wish I had the answers for you. It sounds as though she is getting exercise etc....

All I can offer is a hand hold at the moment lovely.

It really is torture but you are doing your best and although it feels like it's never going to end it will.

In the meantime, when you feel you have the energy maybe keep a little diary (activities, food anything!) and see if anything makes it easier or helps her to sleep and then try to make that the more familiar routine if it does and if all else fails you have some notes to take back to your GP or HV xx

I'm not going to try and give you any advice because it's many years since mine were little and, thankfully, we never had this issue.

But what I would say is that you need a break. Can you ask your husband to take over for an evening - say a Friday, so he doesn't have to go to work the next day, and you just take yourself off to bed? Or, preferably (if you can afford it) a night in a nearby hotel?

Lack of sleep absolutely can affect your mood (it's also a factor in weight gain, as it produces the stress hormone cortisol). When you feel better, and have had more sleep, you'll be more able to cope with this.

Good luck

Thank you both x

Later bedtime unsurprisingly did nothing. I guess I just have to get used to poor sleep now as there's no much else I can do.

But seriously @Londonlady92 - can your partner not give you a break?

@BIWI his only day off is Sunday but he helps when he can. I find it hard to sleep regardless when she wakes and he is helping.

But when do you get a day off?

Can he not take a day off work? And you go off to stay somewhere else - with a friend/family, if you can't afford a hotel?