I just wanted to pop back over and clarify what seems to be a point of confusion. Many CantSleep readers appear to be in search of a singular “test” which definitely shows if you have insomnia, and if so, what the root cause of it is. Unfortunately, there is no such test. If there was, my own insomnia would have been assuaged months ago. However, there are tests which can identify — or rule out — some specific causes of insomnia. Most salient of these is a sleep apnea test. Sleep apnea can be definitively identified via a sleep apnea test. These tests are administered by professionals, and oftentimes you must spend the entire evening being monitored (I have gone through this myself). In my case, the sleep apnea test came back negative. However, there is no test to determine what truly is the cause of my particular sleep issues.
Insomnia can arise from a variety of causes. Some of these are physical, while others are mental. Stress can trigger bouts of insomnia, and depression has been identified as a main cause behind many cases of chronic insomnia. As indicated, physical conditions like sleep apnea can be the root cause of sleep problems. Unfortunately, there is no one easy test which can ascertain whether the cause of a particular case of insomnia is due to physical or mental issues. Many seem to confuse what they read about a sleep apnea test interpreting it as being a generic test for insomnia.
So, in terms of my own sleep problems — I have been continuing with my hypnotherapy with my great therapist, Sharon. I am beginning to notice improvements, and several of the past nights have been pretty much insomnia-free. Sleep is coming back into my life and it is a great feeling. Hopefully some of you reading this now can soon find the relief that I think I have come upon. I’ll provide further updates soon,
It’s Barnaby, and unfortunately I have returned. Not that I didn’t miss all the wonderful feedback from the readers of CantSleep.com — but I had thought I had put my trouble sleeping to bed once and for all (no pun intended). For around two weeks, Valerian was working perfectly — but, to my dismay, last weekend I once again had trouble sleeping. I at first chalked it up to a temporary relapse into insomnia, but after tossing and turning the entirety of last night I realized my trouble sleeping has returned with a vengeance. I’ve previously enumerated here at CantSleep my search for the root cause of my insomnia — to no avail. My sleep apnea test came back negative, I don’t suffer from depression and I’ve severely limited my consumption of caffeine and alcohol since my trouble sleeping began several months ago.
I thought I had found the magic bullet to cure my trouble sleeping with Valerian — but alas, that was too good to be true. Well, I’m going to have to delve back into my insomnia research and unfortunately start again appointments with specialists in my seemingly never-ending quest for a good night’s sleep. I shall keep everyone updated on my sleep (or lack thereof).
When it comes to the cause of depression within both adults and children, much remains unknown. However, researchers have identified a wide range of potential causes which practitioners can remain vigilant for when conducting a depression screening. The root cause of depression in a given case can be either biological or psychological. Obviously, events like the death of a loved one can be an environmental cause of depression, while certain diseases and conditions can prove to be the predicate of a biological cause of depression. Clinical depression is a serious disorder, and it can interfere with all facets of our lives ranging from job performance to insomnia and other sleep-related depression signs and symptoms.
Life situations can often be a major cause of depression. Examples include depression emanating from physical or emotional abuse, death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job or other major life changes. In some of these scenarios, depression will not appear for quite some time after the underlying trigger event. This can be akin to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where the symptoms of the disease are not seen until several years after the stressors ceased. The grieving associated with death can also be a cause of depression — death is always “depressing” in general, however, some of us cross the line into actual clinical depression as a result of the departure of someone close to us.
Environmental causes of depression often revolve around the workplace and/or financial issues. These two arenas are often intertwined. A change of employers — or a job change within the same employer — can lead to depression. This is especially salient when these type of life changes occur consequent to another known cause of depression. Some behaviors can lead to biologically-induced depression. Over 30% of substance abusers have shown to be experiencing depression. It is often difficult to ascertain which came first — the depression or the substance abuse. Many abuse substances as a form of self-medication to address pre-existing clinical depression. Genetics can be a cause of depression, and some of us might just be born to have a higher propensity to experience it independent of outside life events.
Determining the cause of depression in a particular case is often difficult, and it is of secondary concern. The primary importance is to recognize depression signs and symptoms which is required in order to then pursue treatments aimed at identifying and rectifying the root cause of depression in the case at hand. Changes in sleep patterns often prove to be a telltale sign of depression, and those with persistent insomnia or inability to get out of bed in the morning should investigate whether depression is contributing to their sleep issues. The good news is that there now are several effective treatments for depression — the most important step is to recognize the problem and take the first steps to address it.
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