Morning Depression

[Imatryin]

Hi All - It's been a long time since I've posted anything. 1 year of cpap therapy and I am feeling awesome!!!! AHI is consistently <5 and most often even <1. What a miracle coming from an AHI of 47. I have weaned myself off the Ambien 99%. I still take it on very rare occasions when I just can't fall asleep with my husband's snoring. (No he doesn't have sleep apnea...just works too hard and many long hours outside in the Florida heat.)

My last hurdle is morning depression. I still absolutely do not want to get out of bed, even though I've had a full night of peaceful sleep. Once I'm up and moving for a couple of hours, I wonder why the heck it was so hard for me to get out of bed. The alarm goes off, my mind immediately and instinctively goes to all the negative places I had become accustomed to during my years of insomnia/apnea days. Now that I dream...sometimes, I just want to go back into the dream my alarm woke me out of. Obviously, I self-talk my way past it eventually (usually an hour...sometimes an hour and a half later) and get out of bed. I KNOW and tell myself that the faster I get out of bed and start my day, the faster this "morning depression/anxiety" will pass. BUT I still can't seem to pull it together. And the worst part is that's an hour and half of productive day I am wasting. I could be at the gym or starting my work day earlier, so I can finish my work day earlier.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reset that mind pattern? I don't need antidepressants because like I said, now that I'm sleeping, I have very little depression or anxiety-- except in the morning. I think it is an old subconscious habit that doesn't want to die.

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

[Pugsy]

You sound a bit like me. I have never been a "morning" person. I never categorized it as being "depressed" though. It just takes me a bit for my engines to get warmed up in the morning.
I don't know what to tell you to help you get past that initial desire to just "get a little more sleep". In my case I have a couple of dogs that let me know they have to go outside so I don't have much choice.

If you are remembering a dream when you wake up then you probably are in the midst of a dream and maybe the desire is because you woke up before the sleep cycle was completed. I read something about that a while back and I will try to find it. Don't know how to fix it...if it is even what is going on with you. It was something about a "hangover" like effect from being woke up in the middle of a sleep stage instead at the end of one and right before another.

[Pugsy]

Oh...you aren't taking any medications that might be causing a morning grogginess type of thing are you?

[Imatryin]

Hi Pugsy -

No meds with the exception of the once in a very blue moon Ambien. But the Ambien doesn't effect the am depression. I've never been a morning person either, so maybe this is just "normal" for me. I have dogs, I let them out and then run back to bed. It takes me about an hour to two hours to get out of the morning anxiety/blues. Honestly, I think it's just a bad habit my subconscious developed over the years of having untreated sleep apnea and years of hard economic times and other stressors. I don't know how to break this subconscious habit of my mind thinking I'm going to have to deal with a bunch of stress that no longer exists. I probably need to consult a psychological forum rather than the cpap forum

I'm hoping this too shall pass!

[Pugsy]

Well you know what they say about bad habits....notoriously easy to make and the devil to break.

This might be where some CBT type of therapy might be useful. Some way for you to get past that desire to want to go back to bed since I guess you really prefer not doing it or you wouldn't be here.

Don't you just wish there was a bottle of "will power pills" available?

[Imatryin]

"Will Power" Pills would be the BEST!

[kteague]

I remember a discussion on here years ago about different types of alarms, one of which I think was a watch that attempted to determine your sleep cycle and would go off when one is in light sleep as long as it was determined to be within a half hour of the set wake time. I think it was based on movement. How many hours of sleep are you normally getting before the alarm?

[Lucyhere]

I remember a discussion on here years ago about different types of alarms, one of which I think was a watch that attempted to determine your sleep cycle and would go off when one is in light sleep as long as it was determined to be within a half hour of the set wake time. I think it was based on movement. How many hours of sleep are you normally getting before the alarm?

Heck... doesn't matter if I get 10 hours of sleep before the alarm goes off or 1/2 hour. I spent years having to be up at the crack of dawn for kids or work. Now that I no longer have to do that I find it lovely to stay in my nice, comfortable bed. I don't think it's depression because if I have to get up for a doctor's appointment or something I really enjoy doing, I'm up in an instant (sometimes before the alarm). Still takes me awhile to get with it... that cup of coffee or two helps.

I envy people who get up early and go walking or go to the gym... but that's just not me.

[chunkyfrog]

Getting up and walking may be the best thing to do, but I sometimes need a crowbar!

[ChicagoGranny]

I still absolutely do not want to get out of bed

Sounds normal.

[nicholasjh1]

Mine did go away, or at least I'm more awake in the morning. Something that helped mine was going from Coffee to Oolong, I found the coffee was just too much caffeine, so I was going through withdrawal symptoms every morning.

[Jack Burton]

Coffee is wonderful stuff.
Open all the blinds and get some natural light if you can.
Listen to a happy song.
Look at pictures of animals or gran kids or similar.

[EdNerd]

You might want to check out a book, "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg.
Beside containing several interesting stories, he explains how we make and can break (or at least re-route) some habits.

Ed

[Jay Aitchsee]

Habit, as the others have mentioned, I think is key. Walking is great, as CF mentioned. It lifts the mood and it is good for you physically. How about instead of just letting the dogs out, you walk them for about 30 minutes? The dogs will like it and will want to continue, and you might like it, too. After a bit, it may become an enjoyable habit that makes you want to get up and stay up.
Or, substitute something else you find enjoyable. I really think getting outside first thing in the morning is great, but you could even find something indoors. Maybe a favorite news show that you won't want to miss once you start watching. Or maybe there is an exercise program on TV you could tune in to and work out with. Or, maybe you have one of those work out DVDs you could play.
Personally, I think outdoors is best. Let the dogs out and go for a bike ride if you can't walk them. Or... You get the idea.

[esel]

I remember a discussion on here years ago about different types of alarms, one of which I think was a watch that attempted to determine your sleep cycle and would go off when one is in light sleep as long as it was determined to be within a half hour of the set wake time. I think it was based on movement. How many hours of sleep are you normally getting before the alarm?

Heck... doesn't matter if I get 10 hours of sleep before the alarm goes off or 1/2 hour. I spent years having to be up at the crack of dawn for kids or work. Now that I no longer have to do that I find it lovely to stay in my nice, comfortable bed. I don't think it's depression because if I have to get up for a doctor's appointment or something I really enjoy doing, I'm up in an instant (sometimes before the alarm). Still takes me awhile to get with it... that cup of coffee or two helps.

I envy people who get up early and go walking or go to the gym... but that's just not me.

You really enjoy getting out of bed when you have a doctor's appointment Waauuu not me...

As to habits, maybe think about the real benefit it brings if giving it up brings you. If there is no real benefit then don't give it up !