Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Hello Psych2goers, and welcome back to another video.

  • We'd like to give you all a big thanks for all the support that you've given us.

  • It's our mission to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone.

  • So, let's begin.

  • Have you ever experienced sad moments particularly when you're about to sleep?

  • Do you tend to feel more depressed during the night?

  • This can be explained by a mood disorder called night-time depression.

  • In this video, we'll be talking about the factors that may lead to worsening feelings of depression at night.

  • Before we begin, we would like to mention that this video was created for educational purposes only.

  • We highly recommend that you consult a mental health professional if you have any questions about your personal mental health.

  • With that said, here are six reasons why you feel more depressed at night.

  • One, you feel lonelier during night time.

  • Do you live by yourself like me?

  • Does winding down at the end of the day bring you a feeling of loneliness?

  • If you live alone, there may be fewer distractions to keep you from ruminating on negative thoughts especially at night.

  • With the lack of interaction or companionship, thoughts of loneliness or isolation may kick in and make you feel worse during the night.

  • Two, you ruminate more on before you go to bed.

  • Do you stay up thinking about your past mistakes?

  • Are you kept awake by thinking about what could have happened if you had made different choices some time ago?

  • Oftentimes one of the main reasons we remain awake is negative thinking.

  • While reflection is a great way to evaluate yourself to become a better person, excessive rumination may lead to anxiety or depression.

  • Number three, there's too much light in your room.

  • Do you sleep with the lights on?

  • Is there a slip between the curtains that allows light to sneak in or is the light from outside your door shining it?

  • According to studies by the American Journal of Epidemiology, the source of light can disrupt your sleep cycle which causes symptoms of night-time depression.

  • So it's important to maintain a dark environment so that our brain can adapt to the resting process.

  • Four, your circadian rhythm is not coordinated.

  • Have you ever experienced jet lag?

  • And this is when your circadian rhythm or internal body clock is not used to the new timezone you're in.

  • Your circadian rhythm often tells you the time to stay active and the time to rest.

  • However, if it's not properly maintained due to sleeping at odd hours or because of jet lag, you may become prone to developing the symptoms of night-time depression.

  • Number five, you work or study at night.

  • Guilty...

  • Does your job require you to work at night, or do you go to night school?

  • When you work or study at night, you may end up sleeping at odd hours or getting rest only in the morning.

  • Since you can't sleep at night and daylight can interrupt your sleep cycle, you may find yourself having trouble sleeping over time.

  • This may increase your chances of unwanted exhaustion and night-time depression symptoms.

  • And number six, your chronotype is disoriented.

  • Do you feel more awake at night or feel really sleepy during the day?

  • Chronotype refers to the signal in your body that tells you the appropriate sleeping time.

  • If you sleep when you're not sleepy and stay awake when you are, you may be more prone to the risk of feeling depressed over time.

  • This habit can worsen the symptoms at night leading to difficulty in falling asleep, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and isolation.

  • Do you experience feelings of depression during night time?

  • Let us know in the comments below.

  • Also, if you know someone who may benefit from online counseling, we have actually partnered up with betterhelp an affordable online counseling platform that you can utilize.

  • And if you need to get your mind off some thoughts, they're also accessible at night.

  • The link will be in the description box below.

  • We'll see you next time.

Hello Psych2goers, and welcome back to another video.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it