Sadness in the Morning - Is it a Sign of Depression?

Many people walk up in the morning feeling sad or just pessimistic. After continuous days like this, it is natural to wonder if you are experiencing a form of depression and, if so...what to do about it. 

The first area you should examine is what has been going on in your life recently. The loss of a family member, friend or pet certainly could be causing your sadness in the mornings. Equally disturbing would be the loss of a job, change in marital status, or even something like a move. These types of events often cause what is commonly known as situation depression. This syndrome is also known as "adjustment disorder" and sadly it can take up to two years to work through them. Obviously if you are not willing to struggle for that length of time you might want to consider getting some guidance from health care professional specializing in mental issues. Often a an expert can show you simple techniques that will break through this sort of depression and get you back on the road to feeling positive and vibrant.

 If you have not had an event in your life that would cause the type of sadness just discussed, you may have be able to effect a change simply by adjusting your sleep habits. The most likely culprit is the time that you are waking up. 

Assuming you are getting up before daylight, simply allowing yourself to sleep until the sun comes up can be very effective...although not every one has this option. Daylight, in effect, tells your mind to diminish the hormones that help you sleep soundly at night and turn on the chemicals that make you wakeful and feeling refreshed. These chemicals actually help you feel better and better as you go through the day.

 A truly healthy way to live is to leave the shades open enough so that you are awakened by natural sunlight. Even when your eyes are closed, the pineal gland detects the light in the same way your eyes would. Obviously you will be operating more in rhythm with the day if you can do this. 

Lacking the ability to wake up to natural light you may have some good results if you time a lamp to come on with studies suggesting a blue light being most effective. In any event there are ways to combat morning sadness.