Is it Depression or a Sleep Disorder?

Before chalking your mood problems up to depression, perhaps you should consider a sleep disorder. There are many common symptoms used to identify someone with depression. These include:

• changes in sleep (sleeping more or sleeping less)
• decreased interest levels
• feelings of guilt
• decreased energy levels
• poor concentration
• changes in appetite (eating more or eating less)
• increased psychomotor agitation (wringing hands, pacing, etc.)
• thoughts of hurting oneself or others
• feeling depressed

Many of these symptoms overlap with common sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, a circadian rhythm disorder like seasonal affective disorder, or insomnia. In addition, there could be medical problems contributing such as hypothyroidism, which may be undiagnosed in 10 percent of Americans.

It may be difficult to distinguish a mood disorder from sleep problems. If you suspect you may have a sleep disorder, it may be time to get evaluated and undergo a sleep study. You may find that better sleep at night is just the thing you need to improve your mood.