One of our patients recommended that we look at a YouTube video that summarized the scientific literature on fitness watches and rings as sleep trackers. We think that it is a pretty good place to start if you are considering buying a device and sleep is an important part of what you want to track. Before diving into the details, …
Blue Spectrum Light
Blue spectrum light, as emitted by electronic screens of all kinds disrupts sleep patterns and circadian rhythms when they are used in the evening and at night. These disruptions are especially problematic for people with mood disorders, who often experience difficulty sleeping and maintaining regular daily schedules of activities. We recommend blue light blocking glasses that block at least 90% …
Inflammation and Depression – Specific Symptom Cluster
A study of 15 population-based cohorts, totalling 56,351 individuals, suggests that there is a correlation between inflammation as measured by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a specific sub-group of symptoms of depression. The inflammation cluster consisted of four physical symptoms: changes in appetite, felt everything was an effort, loss of energy, sleep problems; and one cognitive symptom: little …
Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia First
Although there is reason for optimism about some of the newer medications for insomnia (orexin antagonists) that are coming to market, it remains true that sleeping medications are not the right answer for many people with insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) has several advantages as an initial treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia First We have been writing …
Chronotherapy and Bipolar Disorder
Chronotherapy refers to treatments for depression, mania, or both, that focus on changing sleep and wakefulness patterns. This blog post provides an update of this important area. Background The International Society of Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) task force on chronobiology and chronotherapy published a comprehensive review of chronotherapy techniques and their effectiveness in bipolar disorder in 2019. This article summarizes the …
Supercharge Your Circadian Rhythms
Why a post about how to supercharge your circadian rhythms? The fact is that for a lot of us our bodies and our brains have a hard time adapting to modern life and the result is poor quality sleep, daytime fatigue, and, for some, depression. What Are Circadian Rhythms? Circadian rhythms are what allow your body to go from vigorous …
Delayed Circadian Rhythms
Delayed circadian rhythms occur in a condition known as delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD). This condition needs to be distinguished from disrupted circadian rhythms, a condition in which there are no strong circadian rhythms and therefore it’s hard for people to fall asleep, and when they do fall asleep they tend to have fragmented or light sleep. People with delayed …
Insomnia Relief
How to find insomnia relief is a question that many people we work with struggle with. A recent editorial in JAMA Psychiatry and the accompanying research article suggests that the online program that we’ve been recommending to our patients for years (SHUTi) is the treatment of choice for insomnia. We have been extremely pleased with the results from this program which can …
Mood Charting for Complicated Problems
I want to share a link to a blog post one the Moodsurfing site which talks about the value of mood charting when trying to understand complicated problems. The story is about Lucy, a patient at Gateway (name changed, of course) and our session yesterday. I think that the story neatly illustrates why keeping track of symptoms is so important when …
Melatonin and Sleep
What is the relationship between melatonin and sleep? And why are the results that people have from taking melatonin supplements to help induce sleep so variable? A recent article has suggested that the two melatonin receptors, melatonin one (M1) and melatonin two (M2) that have been shown to existing humans may have different effects on sleep. A quick review may …