Although it was once believed that insomnia was sometimes caused by depression, some researchers now suspect that a chronic inability to get a good night’s sleep could be a factor in the development of depression. What sleep researchers and others in the field have discovered is that when you cannot sleep, you suffer from a wide range of symptoms, including the following:
• Ongoing fatigue
• Increased irritability
• Problems with concentration
• Decreased memory function
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Reduced interest in sex
• Rapid and unexplained weight loss
• Reduced ability to deal with stress
• Increased emotional sensitivity
• Increased feelings of being helpless or “out of control”
• Increased negativity and pessimism