Sleep as a coping mechanism.

I didn't know where else to put this...but it's something I do when I'm so depressed that I can't function.

It takes the mental anguish away for a few hours.

Yes, it does seem to clean you out emotionally, at least for a short while. I know what you mean. I've found that a high level of emotional stress will make me want to go to sleep anyway.

One side effect of this, that I have found, is that it can really mess with your sleep cycle. Even after getting over my depression, I still find it hard to fall asleep on time, or wake up at a normal time for that matter. I have a strong tendency to stay awake the whole night and sleep the whole day. Luckily, school and work keep me from actually doing that.

Yeah when I couldn't deal with my suicidal feelings anymore. I just went to bed. That's all I could do for a while...just go to bed. It kept me holding on until I was strong enough to do more than just sleep to stave off the effects of my pain.

Sometimes all we can do is cling to the face of the mountain until we remember we do have the strength to climb...

I been sleeping way too much, I'll wake up at somewhat of a decent hour, feeling pretty refreshed and not tired, but not wanting to return to reality. So I end up falling back asleep and not waking up till sometime in the afternoon. Lately It's almost been like my dream world life feels more real and exciting then my waking life. Probably a bad habit I need to break out of eventually, but for now my apathy leads to lots of sleeping. Seems weird how sleeping too much leaves one more tired during the day, very odd. Sleep has been an odd escape for me though lately. It's as if i have this second life in my dream world that I now prefer to my waking life... oh well.

You know...now that I think about it...disturbance of sleep patterns is a symptom of depression.

SophiaGrace said:

You know...now that I think about it...disturbance of sleep patterns is a symptom of depression.

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My sleep patterns are ridiculously off. I sleep all day and I'm usually awake all night. I think I do suffer from depression,but I've never been diagnosed due to...my family not wanting to pay
for a psychiatrist visit.
Plus,my mother is devoutly religious. She thinks I can pray my depression away.

dreamer8 said:

She thinks I can pray my depression away.

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I hate it when people say that.

----Steve

I just wish i could sleep. My mind races a 1000 mph. I was up for 26 hours yesterday (well and the day before) and came home drunk and still only slept for about 4 hours. If im lucky i sleep about 3-4 hours a night. My eye sockets are getting darker, lol. You guys are making me jealous. How do i shut my mind off? She wont get out of my head!!

I'm the exact opposite. whenever I get depressed (almost everyday) I function better, I work harder, my concentration level is at its peak, I'm more creative. I have less drive to actually sleep--I guess I'm that eccentric?

Olde shoe said:

I'm the exact opposite. whenever I get depressed (almost everyday) I function better, I work harder, my concentration level is at its peak, I'm more creative. I have less drive to actually sleep--I guess I'm that eccentric?

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I think sometimes depression can take that form. I've heard of people throwing themselves head first into whatever they do.
I just tend to shut down completely.

i sleep on my days off. i basically just live off of my old life... go to the places i use to go. once i lose one, i fill the void with sleep.

I sleep always... and I always want to sleep... when my days are long and I have nothing to look forward to... i just sleep to fill up my day.

i know..Only *I* can change that... I should be working harder on giving myself something to look forward to.

I kind of do that. Wake up, go to school, come home, eat, shower, go to sleep, wake up, etc.
I can now stay up a few hours longer than I have been though. It just seems like there is nothing to stay awake for, and everythhing in your dreams is your wish come true, so it's like why not? I should probably make an attempt to get out more and do things though, being at home all the time, makes feeling down so much worse....

sleep is the cousin of death.

I sleep moor then I should I think.
I normally are in bed for 10pm and don't get up tell 8am.
Plus I a lot of the time sleep for an hour in the afternoon.
I think sometimes like yesterday I did this it was moor out of boredom then a need for sleep.
All though I did feel tied I don't think I would had felt tied if I had something of interest to do.

I think if you need sleep a lot you should have your self's checked out for being anaemic.
Are just try having moor iron in your diet.

Of course if your feeling down and alone then most probably your kinder depressed and that well make you feel tied as well.

idle said:

sleep is the cousin of death.

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Interesting, Am not sure what to make of that.

lol, idle, i'm with you :/

Sleeping to escape can turn into a visous cycle that feeds on itself.

Proper sleeping habits is healthy. Everyone needs proper rest.

I used to sleep alot when I was depressed. Over sleeping made me more dysfunctional.
The more dysfunctional I got..the more depressed I got. The more depressed I got..the more my life became unmanageable.
The more unmanageable my life got...the more depressed I got..the more depressed i got..the more I wanna sleep to escape.
The more I escape...the more life passes me by...the more life passes me by...the more fucken depressed i got.
It's totally narly to get myself out of that rut...

It had the same result as when i was drinking and using all the time....to escape. I bascailly putted myself in a state of sleep walking.
Life felt like a a crazy dream, everything was a burrrrrrrrr.lol

i just recently, and barely, made my way out of almost an 8 month serious depression. where strong suicidal thoughts were present constantly, hauntingly.

hmm, i'm thirsty, i should kill myself.
hmm, time to brush my teeth, i should kill myself.
hmm, i think i'm hungry, or should i just kill myself.

i couldn't get myself off of my couch for almost 8 months.

all i could do was sleep and sleep and sleep some more. it's like i wanted to get up, but i just couldn't do anything.

i didn't really understand depression until i went through it myself. now, it's like i can breathe again.

Sterling said:

I kind of do that. Wake up, go to school, come home, eat, shower, go to sleep, wake up, etc.
I can now stay up a few hours longer than I have been though. It just seems like there is nothing to stay awake for, and everythhing in your dreams is your wish come true, so it's like why not? I should probably make an attempt to get out more and do things though, being at home all the time, makes feeling down so much worse....

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exactly me

idle said:

sleep is the cousin of death.

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****! haha

Just_Some_Dude said:

hmm, i'm thirsty, i should kill myself.
hmm, time to brush my teeth, i should kill myself.
hmm, i think i'm hungry, or should i just kill myself.

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It can be like that as well.