sleep Archives ⋆ Chana Pfeifer

Seeking Help for Depression

Do you find it difficult to function in your day to day life?

Have you lost interest in the activities which used to be fun?

Do you find it tough to get up from your bed?

Seeking help for depression is the first step to making a change.

Depression is much more than sadness.

It includes changes in mood and also changes in sleep, energy, appetite, concentration, and motivation.

If your symptoms are causing issues with your relationships or work, and you don’t see a solution; consider seeing a professional counselor.

Talk Therapy

To start, it’s confidential. Therapists are not allowed to release your personal information. This will help you trust your therapist, and you can describe your problems openly to them.

They are not going to judge you & their opinions are solely to help you with your difficulties.

Also, with talk therapy, you can consult a professional who will give you extra support and guidance to point out the factors that contribute to your depression. They will work with you to understand and solve these problems.

Lifestyle Changes

Here’s some lifestyle changes that can be used along with therapy:

● Get enough sleep
● Eat healthily
● Exercise regularly
● Avoid alcohol & drugs
● Meditation

Depression can make it difficult for you to even reach out for help. When you are going through depression, the tendency is to isolate, which makes it hard to connect close family members and friends. Sometimes, even talking and pouring out your feelings can look like a difficult task.

Here are a couple of things you can do along with counseling:

● Join a support group: No one can understand your situation better than another person going through the same. You will find people going through the same type of issue as you or similar.
● Indulge in social activities (online or offline): Depression makes it hard to indulge in social activities, but being around other people will make you feel better. Go out for a walk, join a hobby class, or maybe join a local book club.
● Bring a pet home: Pets can fill your life with love and compassion. Having a furry companion can reduce your sense of isolation.

For more info. on counseling for depression, call (516) 592-1107 or email Chana today.

Social Worker Booking Information:

Accepted Insurance Plans: Aetna

Payments can be made via: Cash, Check, Zelle, Chase QuickPay, American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa, Health Savings Account

Lack of Sleep can Cause Relationship Problems

It’s not just fighting that can tear a relationship apart — lack of sleep can also contribute to problems between you and your partner (not to mention, your health!)

Lack of Sleep - Couples Counseling Long Island, NY

Your marriage has been through it’s ups and downs. Over the years, you’ve shared your secrets, your dreams, and one bathroom, which has brought you closer and made your relationship stronger. But there is a force out there that threatens to dismantle everything you’ve worked towards. An unfortunate occurrence that has been known to cause misery since the beginning of time: lack of sleep. But all joking aside, the ways sleep deprivation affects your marriage can be serious, but it’s nothing you and your partner can’t handle.

Lack of Sleep Raises Inflammation Levels

A new study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology says that not getting enough Z’s can raise inflammation levels, and this, when paired with spousal fights, can lead to marital stress and a decline in health.

“Part of the issue in a marriage is that sleep patterns often track together. If one person is restless or has chronic problems, that can impact the other’s sleep. If these problems persist over time, you can get this nasty reverberation within the couple,”
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, senior author and director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.

And if the couple has children, there’s potential for sleep interruption from the moment a baby is born and for several years afterwards.

Anyone ever pick a fight with you when you haven’t had enough shut eye?

Then you know that those arguments aren’t always the prettiest sight. In an study published in the journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science, researchers found that couples have more conflicts occur from sleep deprivation, even when only one of them is short on sleep. This study also found that tired couples had less empathy for one another when trying to reach conflict resolution.

Use this as a reason to team up and investigate the problem – together.

Choosing between losing sleep and sleeping apart can be difficult, but there is a third choice: to seek help together as a couple.

If anything, having a spouse there to bring attention to repeated snoring, can actually help identify if there’s an actual health issue that needs to be addressed. So why not work on this problem together?

Contact Chana today for more information on couples therapy.