Why does depression make you feel tired?
11 July, 2018
Depression can cause debilitating fatigue and make the simplest activities, such as getting out of bed, too difficult to manage.
According to a 2018 report, fatigue affects over 90 percent of people with major depressive disorder.
In this article, learn about the link between depression and fatigue, as well as how to cope.
What causes depression fatigue?
People with depression are more likely to experience fatigue, and people with chronic fatigue are more likely to become depressed, creating a cycle that can be hard to break.
Potential causes of depression fatigue include sleep problems, diet, stress, and even the medications used to treat depression.
Learn more about each cause below:
- Sleep problems
Sleep is essential for regenerating the body and replenishing energy. Lack of sleep alone may not cause depression, but it does increase risk and can make existing depression symptoms worse.
Even if a person with depression is getting enough sleep, they may not wake up feeling refreshed because the quality of sleep is often lower than that experienced by a person who does not have depression.
Research shows that many people with depression and other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, experience both insomnia and hypersomnia.
Insomnia means having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Hypersomnia refers to excessive sleepiness.
Obstructive sleep apnea is another sleep disorder that has links with depression. One 2015 study found that depression is common in people with sleep apnea and that it affects the severity of sleep apnea.
Furthermore, the study found that treating the sleep apnea improved depression symptoms.
- Diet
Researchers have long speculated about whether diet affects mental health. One recent meta-analysis looked at multiple studies for a link between diet and depression risk.
The report found some evidence that higher quality diets, such as those that include anti-inflammatory foods, may lower some people's risk for depression. However, more research needs to be done
A second meta-analysis also associated specific diet patterns with an increased risk for depression. In particular, researchers found that Western-style diets containing red meat, processed meats, refined grains, sweets, and other unhealthful foods may increase the risk for symptoms of depression in some people.
- Stress
Stressful life events may cause depression fatigue.
Stressful life events can contribute to depression.
Stress can affect levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are chemicals in the brain that play an essential part in regulating mood and energy.
Research indicates that stressful life events can significantly increase a person's risk of developing major depressive disorder.
These stressful life events can include the end of a relationship or close friendship, death of a loved one, significant financial loss, job changes, and health-related events, such as a cancer diagnosis.
The same research suggests that stress can also cause inflammation in the body, which can lead to hypersomnia and fatigue. It may also cause a person to withdraw from social activities and have problems thinking clearly.
- Medications
Antidepressants work by acting on the brain's neurotransmitters to help them do a better job of regulating a person's mood. Some antidepressants, however, can cause significant fatigue.
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