sleep deprivation for depression advice required ?
Q.Like M.. says, sleep deprivation is not a sustainable strategy for alleviating depression. One or two short nights may help, but expect to go downhill if you keep it up. If you'd like to list the things (including medications) you've tried so far, and what effects they have had, we might be able to suggest some alternatives. For that matter, what are your symptoms, and are they related in some fashion to anything in your life?
A.I have read on many websites that even a single days sleep deprivation can reduce depression in about 60% of depressed people. When I stay up all night, I am very stressed the following day, and make a lot of mistakes. So, as a compromise I was thinking of waking myself up when REM sleep starts, as I read somewhere that not having any REM sleep is also a valid method of fighting depression. What I want to know is: Is there any way of waking myself just before the start of REM sleep, either with a drug, or an electrical device? And, since I'm doing this at home, I don't have access to one of those devices that you see on tv with electrodes attached to your skull. If it is possible to wake myself during REM sleep, then how many nights do you reckon I would have to do it per week, in order to have an antidepressant effect? I am also taking Remeron and Lamatrogine,these have had zero effect so far; I read that sleep deprivation can activate antidepressants which are not working. Do you believe there's any truth in this claim? I have tried many things to fight depression,and they have all been completely useless, so I'm very skeptical that sleep deprivation is going to help even in the slightest, but it's something I want to give a try. i have found sleep deprivation to have some benefit; eg a normal 8 hrs, then 3-4 hours the next day. tried NO sleep, found worries less adhesive but the fatigue pretty much cancelled the benefit. 6 hours, no help. 3 seemed to be the ideal, although your experience might be different. also, this only seemed to work for one night...continued deprivation wasn't helpful at all.
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