People with depression are more vulnerable to fatigue. Simple tasks, such as showering or getting out of bed, may require more effort than they can perform. In addition, fatigue can influence other symptoms associated with depression, such as withdrawal and apathy.
Depression can increase the feeling of fatigue and, due to fatigue, the person cannot perform certain activities he or she used to do. In fact, according to clinical psychologist Shoshana Bennett, “it’s unusual that fatigue isn’t one of the symptoms of depression. “
- Fatigue affects more than 90% of people with major depressive disorder.
- As reported by Ghanean.
- Ceniti and Kennedy (2018) in an article published in cns drugs.
- After all.
- What causes depression-related fatigue?.
“Our fatigue is often not caused by work, but rather by anxiety, frustration and resentment. ” Dale Carnegie.
According to statistics, residual fatigue in depression contributes significantly to deterioration in quality of life and also appears to be a significant risk factor for chronicity and relapse (Marin, H. Menza, 2004).
Possible causes of fatigue during depressive disorders include sleep problems, diet type, stress and even medications used to treat depression itself.
Below are the main reasons why people with depression are more vulnerable to fatigue.
Sleep is essential to regenerate the body and regain energy. Lack of sleep alone does not cause depression. Lack of sleep increases the risk of depression. Lack of sleep can also worsen existing depression symptoms. Even in cases where a person with depression gets enough sleep. , may not have a good sleep quality.
Soehner, A. , Kaplan, K and Harvey (2014) report that many people with depression and other mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, suffer from insomnia and hypersomnia.
Obstructive sleep apnea is another sleep disorder related to depression. As a result, one study found that depression is common in people with sleep apnea and affects the severity of sleep apnea (Edwards et al. , 2015). The study found that treating sleep apnea improved symptoms of depression.
There has long been speculation about the influence of diet on mental health, a report has found evidence that better quality diets, such as those including “anti-inflammatory foods,” can reduce the risk of depression. for some people (Soehner et al. , 2014).
Li et al. (2017) reported that specific eating habits were linked to an increased risk of depression; in this regard, they found that Western diets, rich in red meats, processed meats, refined cereals, sweets and other unhealthy foods, may increase the risk of symptoms of depression in some people.
Stress can affect levels of Serotonin and Dopamine, chemicals that play an essential role in the brain in regulating mood and energy.
One study states that stressful life events, such as end-of-relationship, death of a loved one, significant loss, or health-related changes, among others, can significantly increase a person’s risk of developing a major depressive disorder (Slavich). and Irwin, 2014).
This study also suggests that stress can also cause inflammation in the body, which can cause hypersomnia and make us more vulnerable to fatigue.
Antidepressants act on neurotransmitters in the brain, helping to improve a person’s mood-regulating function. However, some antidepressants can cause significant fatigue.
For example, Targum and Fava (2011) report that some of the medications used to treat major depressive disorder can cause fatigue symptoms as a side effect.
In addition to talking to your doctor about the problem so you can rule out or diagnose other causes and/or check your medication, you can do many other things to improve the fatigue associated with depression.
Remember that just because we’re more vulnerable to fatigue during depression doesn’t mean we have to comply. As we become more proactive in improving our situation, symptoms of depression also tend to improve.