University of Kansas PhD: “Natural Ways To Improve Sleep and Cure Depression Without Drugs”
Learn what restorative slow-wave sleep is… why it’s critical to cure depression… and how to start getting more of it — tonight.
This post answers a question given to me by fellow Medium user, Igor Klibanov…
I published an article called “The Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation And Depression.” Igor responded with the following comment: “I love the focus on the connection between sleep and depression in this article. Can you share more about the specific strategies for improving sleep and managing depression?”
I found great answers to this question — as we ponder the mysterious links between sleep deprivation and depression — in the book, The Depression Cure.
(Note: if you click on the link for The Depression Cure and order the book from Amazon, I will make a small commission. Thanks for your support so I can continue to publish high quality research and reach my goal of helping 1 million people recover from depression and anxiety.)
It’s a 6 step program clinically proven to cure depression without medication, discovered by Dr. Stephen Ilardi through extensive lab testing at The University of Kansas.
Help Me Help You Even More
The Depression Cure is the foundation for programs I am working on to help people treat depression, manage their mood and physical health naturally without medication. Perhaps I’ll even be able to interview Dr. Ilardi someday to ask about things that he didn’t have time to get to in his book.
Thus, the more traction and momentum I get with my Medium blog and Spotify podcast (called “depressed american”), the closer I get to making this a reality. So if you find my content valuable or useful in any way, please follow the blog and podcast show… leave more comments and ask questions for me to research.
Pay Attention, This Is Scary
Ok cool, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…
Here is how Dr. Ilardi introduced the importance of sleep in his book:
“Disrupted sleep is one of the most potent triggers of depression, and there’s evidence that most episodes of mood disorder are preceded by at least several weeks of subpar slumber.
Not only can poor sleep cause depression, but depression can cause poor sleep. (Talk about a vicious cycle.) Fully 80% of depressed patients experience some form of sleep disturbance. While some have trouble drifting off at night, most have even greater difficulty staying asleep. Often, they’ll find themselves wide awake in the middle of the night, tossing and turning until daybreak. Even worse, depression also affects sleep quality, depriving people of the deepest, most rejuvenating sleep phase (known as slow-wave sleep).”
Ah, now we’re starting to get somewhere. To keep depression away, we not only need to overcome sleep onset insomnia to fall asleep, which I talked about in previous articles… but we need to get enough “slow-wave sleep.”
It’s important to note that Dr. Ilardi didn’t write much in the book about slow-wave sleep, what it is, the mechanics of it, and the biological processes involved. So, I feel it’s worth jotting it down to research this topic and write another article on it later (or possibly asking Dr. Ilardi himself).
I’d also like to know what gets in the way of restorative slow-wave sleep once you are already asleep… for instance, alcohol and certain drugs have been linked to poorer quality sleep. Why is that? And what else gets in the way?
Can You Believe They Didn’t Figure This Out Sooner?
Dr. Ilardi did devote one entire chapter to Sleep… since it is one of the 6 steps in the 6 step program to cure depression naturally without drugs… yet there are no more specifics here on slow-wave sleep. And he introduces more concepts that simply give me more questions.
You’ll see what I mean after you read this excerpt from Chapter 9 of The Depression Cure:
“Recent advances in the neurosciences have brought the discovery that adequate sleep is indispensable for both physical and mental well-being… it is only during sleep that the body and brain have a chance to do their major repair work–to undo the subtle damage suffered by million of cells over the course of each day–and to perform a daily tune-up so things continue running smoothly. Sleep is what keeps us firing on all cylinders.”
Yes, it’s crazy that only in the 21st Century we are learning how important sleep is… not that long ago, people thought sleep was basically garbage time. They had no idea that sleep is necessary for functioning at the cellular level and every mental and physical part of your body.
Doesn’t it seem obvious though, haha? Go a few nights without much sleep and you’ll feel terrible until you finally collapse in your bed with no other option but to sleep. Nobody experienced this until 20 years ago? They probably thought some “evil spirit” had taken ahold of someone and given them mental problems, haha.
Now, I said earlier that I have more questions after reading this paragraph in the book… and it’s the part where Dr. Ilardi says that sleep undos “the subtle damage suffered by million of cells over the course of each day–and to perform a daily tune-up so things continue running smoothly.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa… what subtle damage to our cells? And sleep performs a daily tune-up of what? I want the specifics here. I want to dive deep into how sleep works and what’s going on biologically.
That being said, researchers have said for years that sleep is still somewhat of a mystery. It’s the same thing with migraine headaches — they are often this weird mystery where no one knows why or how they happen. We just do our best to deal with the consequences.
Still, I have a feeling there’s a lot more to uncover here. And of course, Dr. Ilardi did not have time to go into specifics with all the 6 steps… otherwise the book would be 3x longer and no one would ever read it.
4 Out of 5 People Have Sleep Issues Before The Onset of Depression
Ok cool, so what does Dr. Ilardi recommend to help people fall asleep and get more high quality “slow-wave sleep?”
Well, first let’s look at the disastrous consequences of sleep deprivation…which again leaves me with a few more questions. In addition, American society just does not seem to understand how crucial it is to get 7–9 hours of sleep per night. Dr. Ilardi issues a dire warning in Chapter 9:
“Because sleep is so essential to our well-being, it takes only a few nights of deprivation before adverse effects start piling up: memory and concentration wane; mood turns irritable; judgment grows poor; reaction times slow; coordination deteriorates; energy dims; and immune function declines.”
[Note from depressed american: You start getting SICK after a few nights of sleep deprivation!]
“Even more dire consequences follow prolonged sleep loss. The body starts shutting down, and we begin to experience the sleep deficit as physically painful. That’s why intentionally depriving someone of sleep is now regarded as a form of torture, and rightfully so.
Sadly, sleep disturbance and depression go hand in hand. Not only is disordered sleep one of the telltale symptoms of depression, but it also plays a major role in triggering the illness.
The loss of slow-wave sleep–the most restorative phase of slumber–can directly account for many of depression’s most debilitating features. Not surprisingly, before the onset of depression, four out of five people suffer from some form of sleep disturbance.
The implications are clear: Anything we can do to improve our sleep can help combat depression and render the disorder less likely to occur in the future.”
Whoa, this is heavy stuff now. Prolonged sleep loss causes the body to shut down?! As in, it’s dying? I want more info on that. Another startling realization: if you intentionally keep yourself up, you are literally torturing yourself.
I think the biggest stat here is this one: “Before the onset of depression, four out of five people suffer from some form of sleep disturbance.” Dr. Ilardi has made it clear that sleep deprivation is a huge trigger for depression — I would still like to know more about exactly how it triggers depression in the body.
Is it a bigger trigger than trauma, other aspects of brain chemistry, genetics, and many other risk factors? Four out of five people is a huge number… that means 80% of people have sleep issues before they get depression.
How To Actually Get Restorative “Slow-Wave Sleep” That Wards Off Depression
But perhaps you get the point already and don’t want all those details… you’re ready for the solutions, right? Fear not, Dr. Ilardi presents a plan in Chapter 9:
“What leads to restorative slow-wave sleep?
- Physical exercise…
- Bright light exposure…
- Omega-3 supplementation…
- Anti-ruminative activity.
Condition your body to fall asleep when it gets into bed with these:
- Use the bed only for sleeping…
- Get out of bed when you’re not sleepy…
- Get up at the same time every day…
- Don’t take naps…
- Avoid bright light at night…
- Keep lights dim an hour before bedtime and limit electronics…
- Avoid caffeine and other stimulants past 12 pm…
- Avoid alcohol at night…
- Keep the same bedtime every night…
- Turn down your thermostat about 5 degrees an hour before bedtime…
- Turn off your mental chatter.”
Could These Tips Help You Fall Asleep Tonight?
It can take a while to condition your body to fall asleep with the above guidelines…
And Dr. Ilardi doesn’t mention the most effective methods that turn your mind off instantly and let you fall asleep as quickly as possible… in many cases, as soon as 60 seconds….
Which is fair because some of these methods have been discovered since he wrote The Depression Cure.
He wrote this book in 2009… and many of the most effective methods have been developed in the last 10 years.
The book presents a long game plan to beat depression, which is important.
But what if you tried tips clinically proven to make you fall asleep in 60 seconds… so you can get a great night’s sleep — tonight? Many people have fallen asleep on the first try.
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Keep the questions coming in the comment section too…I love answering your most pressing immediate questions and to help solve your biggest problems…so you can live a healthy, peaceful life…and not be at the whims of insomnia, depression, or any other horrible modern ailment that plagues our society.
