Thursday, October 17, 2024

Night Depression is a thing. It shouldn't be


The New York Times' By Christina Caron looked at some reasons people might feel depressed at night and provides some suggestions. She misses the most important one.

Caron writes: "It’s not uncommon for our minds to unleash a torrent of difficult feelings under the cover of darkness: sadness and negative thoughts may surface at night, making sleep hard to come by." On social media and elsewhere people often refer to this as “nighttime depression.” But is that really a thing? And if so, why do some people get blue at night?

Caron mentions anxiety and depression in the same sentence: "While anxiety can also ramp up at night, and tends to make people feel agitated, tense and restless, nighttime depression is best characterized as a low mood." The anxiety link Caron provides. leads to a New York Times piece by Kiera Carter who attempts to answer the question Why Do I Feel More Anxious at Night.? Carter cites a study by the American Psychogical Association, which basically says Americans are stressed because they hate living in the United States.


She also cites Dr. Rafael Pelayo, who claims the purpose of evening anxiety is an evolutionary defense mechanism: "Dr. Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in sleep medicine at Stanford Medicine and author of the book, “How to Sleep.” “Sleep is the most dangerous thing we can do."

Factors Affecting Night Mood Swings


Caron says there are many factors that can tank your mood late at night, including insomnia, loneliness, alcohol, drugs and circadian rhythms, concluding that the night shift may be hazardous to your health: "Studies of night workers, for example, have found that working outside of regular business hours is associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety, among other health problems."  Although nighttime depression can be a symptom of clinical depression, research suggests that most people, including those without mood disorders, will feel worse as a result of staying up too late or waking up, she adds.

Cause-Effect

Is there a physical reason that impacts you night mood? Did you, for example, have too much coffee today, drink alcohol or eat a heavy meal right before bed? What about television? Sleep Disruption: If watching movies affects your sleep schedule, it could lead to fatigue or other health issues. Social Isolation: If it replaces social activities or interactions, it might lead to feelings of loneliness. Sedentary Lifestyle: Spending too much time sitting can contribute to physical health problems.












Way Forward 


According to Caron. Dr. Sarah L. Chellappa, an associate professor at the University of Southampton who has studied the relationship between circadian rhythms and mood, recommended establishing consistent sleep and wake times, avoiding daytime naps and stashing electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. But it's not just the electronic devices.  More like self-mastery to achieve  impedance matching, or decompression:


An overstimulated brain is not predisposed for a good night's sleep. So what is an impedance matching activity you may ask? Any activity that can transition your brain status to sleep mode, like no overeating prior to going to bed, meditation or prayer can do that.  That includes attending a late night lecture, a political rally, watching a horror movie, violence or pornography, and so on.

Paraphrasing Goethe: "Tell me what you do before you go to bed and I'll tell you the quality of sleep you experience." 

Meditation 

Meditation may significantly reduce stress, fear, anxiety, depression, and pain, and enhance peace, perception, self-concept, and well-being. 

Prayer




Prayer on the other hand is an integral part of Christian living. We call upon God every time we pray, as stated in Matthew 6:9: "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'" By praying to God every day to ask for His help and forgiveness, we get closer to Him. Saint Philip Neri's Maxim for October 9 says; "In saying the Pater Noster, we ought to reflect that we have God for our Father in heaven, and so go on making a sort of meditation of it word by word."

Catholics are fortunate for their prayer tool kit is inexhaustible. In addition to the Paster Noster,  Sacred Scripture is chock full of exhortation to pray for healing, both physical and mental:





  • “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:14-16)
  • “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28-30)
  • “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
  • “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)
  • “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
  • “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)
In addition to Sacred Scripture, Catholics can resort to intercessors, like the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray the Holy Rosary. 



Or they can go directly to God and ask for mercy by praying the Divine Mercy, no



or pray to the patron saint of the particular ailment. Catholics are encouraged to pray the Divine Office, also known as The Liturgy of the Hours several times daily. The Liturgy of the Hours, like many other forms of the canonical hours, consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings, and other prayers and antiphons prayed at fixed prayer times. Together with the Mass, it constitutes the public prayer of the church.



And perhaps most importantly, there are the Holy hours - the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. 





Conclusion

Caron concludes saying: "If you find that your low mood isn’t improving during the day and instead persists continually for weeks, then it’s important to seek help from a health care provider, the experts said."

However, if there are no underlying physical conditions that explain your low mood, I'd say, before you turn to a health care provider, turn to mediation or prayer, after all, Jesus came to heal the sick.

Caron also says, if your feelings at night become severe and include fear, paranoia, irritability, impulsivity or suicidal thoughts then it’s necessary to seek care quickly or call 988, the national suicide hotline. I would also suggest you turn to Saint Jude aka Judas Thaddaeus, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.








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