A Hypothesis

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There is a particular section in my Biopsychology book which goes over Mood Disorders.

As I was continuing to type up my notes this evening, I read over the section regarding depression and how, for some as yet unknown reason, when a depressed person is deprived of sleep for a single night, their depression suddenly lifts. Of course, once they return to their regular sleep pattern, they go back to being depressed.

But I sat for a moment, taking what little I know into account, and pondering what in the body could possibly account for such an occurrence. I began thinking about what happens to me, nondepressed, when I am deprived of a night's sleep. And I suddenly recalled that perhaps halfway or so through the night, I get my "second wind". I could be wrong, but it seems to me that second wind is a rush of adrenaline helping me to continue through the sleepless night.

And then I only had to think back as to the neurotransmitters which are most typically associated with mood disorders: serotonin and norepinephrine. The latter neurotransmitter is the more important one here. An increase in either of these supposedly aids in lifting one's mood. And a synonym for norepinephrine (as well as epinephrine) is "adrenaline".

I hypothesize that perhaps halfway through the night, when we hit our "second wind," our brain is flooded with norepinephrine (adrenaline), and in turn for the depressed person, the mood lifts. It's such a huge and immediate rush that it has fairly quick results as to lifting mood. Unlike Selective Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs and SNRIs) which can take weeks to positively affect the system.

It would be intersting one day to test this hypothesis...

If anyone on here knows anything more about norepinphrine or this "second wind" and I am missing something, please correct me. Trying to refine the hypothesis. Thanks.

Last edited by Sophist on 11 Dec 2005, 1:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

when i pull all nighters my mood is better than normal irrespective of the work I am doing - that is, even if I hate, HATE what I am doing, physically I feel elated

it seems like the logic would follow as to the workability of your hypothesis.
sometimes the answer is right in front of you.
We sometimes work too hard in the search for answers in the unlikliest of places, rather oft times its the simple A+B=C formula, if this and that then this.
Sure why not. I have rarely found a depressed coke head, maybe it has something to do with dopamine.
Adreneline works the same. Although i haven't given it much thought. Til now. i am sure it will consume me.

Should be fairly basic to apply the scientific method to your hypothosis as well.

if you take it further keep us informed of your findings.

i just remembered,

The Stones have this song called Mother's Little Helper

Is that applicacable in any way?

Not sure. Got the lyrics? (Though I might have to read them tomorrow. My second wind is probably a good hour or so away, so I think I'm gonna head off to bed...)

When I'm depressed I tend to sleep more... When I'm not depressed I have no regular sleeping pattern... Once again I continue to prove that I am The Exception...

Sophists not talking about depressed people sleeping less. Depressed people usually sleep more and can have irrgular sleeping patterns. Shes talking about what some depressed people experience when they are deprived of sleep and how they become less depressed during this time and when they wake up they go back to them normal gloomy selfs again.

I don't know about this hypothesis, but to me at least it seems to be kind of incomplete.

When I researched depression in Aspies it seemed like a major factor is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Perhaps as much as half of the depression experienced by Aspies might be related to SAD. To understand depression in Aspies, it would be most useful to understand SAD.

I also think that serotonin, and it's proposed involvement in AS, is deeply disturbing to me. All kinds of highly unlikely hypothesis have been proposed for this by psychiatry, including faulty serotonin genes. These people obviously have not studied the role of serotonin in other species. It turns out that serotonin in a wide range of species is directly related to their dominance status. This very likely means serotonin levels in humans and Aspies also are related to their perceived status in society.

Going back to SAD, this seems to be a physiological condition that can be relieved by light-therapy. I don't know if somebody have tried light-therapy with depressed Aspies, but it would make an interesting study. Anyway, our situation in society and increased levels of SAD clearly explain why depression is a major problem without any genetic damages or brain malfunctions.

What is SAD? Seasonal Affective Disorder..You're affected by the seasons?

I dont know if Im thinking of another song, but...

Isnt that about the hypocrisy of older people abusing otc/rx drugs and preaching anti-drug campaigns yet criticizing younger generations?

things are different today
i hear every mother say
i just need something today
to get me byyyyyyy.

Whats the little yellow pill?
thinking about the song, which wont stop repeat play in my mind.
i think its an upper.
likely it is about hippocricy, which is ironic being that his generation (McJaggers) turned out to be the most hippocritical greediest generation of all. completely full of crap.

the prior was just a staement believed by the author and used in general terms only, there is no possible way that any statement made in accusation of a group of people could ever be applied equally or to all those within the group. but i doi mean for the most part

i think i just screwed a bunch of people.

the song won't leave my head

things are different today
i hear every mother say
i just need something today
to get me byyyyyyy.

leave my head now, go away.
stop.

depression is often thought of as people who are SAD.

i think that it was a joke, a stab at dry sense of humor and very well spoken, if you get dry humor.
i don't.

But mr. beans facial expressions are very funy, yes, very funny, indeed.

Since there are a number of components to depression, I would think that a brief surge of energy would help alter the subjective experience of depression. I am not sure because depression takes so many different forms. There is even depression without the experience of depressed mood. For people whose pattern includes anergia and increased sleep, I would say that sleep deprivation would work because these folks have depleted their energy and the surge of adrenaline would help. For people who can't sleep or are sleeping poorly, I would think it would not work at all since neither their energy level nor their subjective impression of sleep would change much.
But I will go and do some research and see if I can find a more scientific opinion.

Unfortunately, the brief on these various studies on depressed people was quite vague and didn't specify the specifics of the depression symptoms. I might try and see if I can find a couple of those actual studies and see, if it's even mentioned, what the subjects' sleep patterns were to begin with.

But as for Seasonal Affective Disorder, I don't think this little phenomenon is talking about that kind of depression (jes' the more common kind(s)), since that's practically a horse of a different color (but fascinating all the same).

I'd say that most of my depressions are related to my suspected SAD, but the last one was most likely caused by severe lonliness. But I do get happier later at night at work if I've been worked out enough and feel tired. But I don't know how long it's been since I've even had an adrenaline rush, I think I'm too relaxed a person to have them often enough to remember what it feels like.

I understand that seritonin is being researched in relation to depression, but it seems odd to not consider the effect of it's sister hormone Melatonin whis is often used here in the US to treat insomnia.