Why is my depression worse at night?

When things settle down, there is less to occupy our minds-thus the demons in our mind come out to play.

Two reasons I have come to realise:

- You have more time and mental energy to focus on how crap you are feeling, you're no longer distracted by your daily tasks so all these suppressed thoughts now come to the forefront.

- Chemical levels and hormones in the body become depleted (especially early mornings as you awaken) with a natural tendency to bring you down.

A variety of reasons. Darkness and of course, inactivity compared to the rest of the day will provide perfect conditions for it to intensify. Yet, that is not always the reasoning as Catessence has pointed out. It can do with the fact that it is a fear of sleep, often when depression i am scared to dream.

cuz you aren't as busy with work and routines to occupy your mind.

Mine is the other way around. Sorry...

Because light affects mood. In the lack of light you have no positive input and your mind is focused on internal stimuli of dark thoughts. I allowed myself to remain in a state of depression for several years. Sometimes nights contained terror. I've discovered a twelve step group focused on my most troubling thoughts, with a society of people sharing similar problems who you can open up to has done wonders. I no longer have depression, am much for productive, and have much greater hope for the future.

If you are living alone, sometimes when you get by yourself at night and no one to talk to may cause your depression to go up.
Normally on what I know which is not all that much, but when you are busy your mind is on your work and you do not have time to think about other things that may cause depression.
I am sure there are hundereds of sign fo depression like someone in the family being ill, death in the family, family issues, but I do not know if you are having these problems.
If your depression does not stop, you may want to see a professional consultant.

I hope everything works out well for you

Probably because there is a lack of light and you are not around other people so you can brood over your thoughts without interruptions. I have the same problem, but I just use the old mindblock technique aand I'm fine. I hope this helps! (Just in case your wondering, I'm 13, not 20 like it says on my profile. Don't know how I messed thaqt one up!)

I wish I could tell you why.
Mine is usually worse in the mornings.

Tends to be worse at night for me, too. My guess is after a long, hard, boring, stressful day, I tend to be "tired of it all," hence deeper depression. (I also generally feel better in the morning than in the evening.)

This is just my guess. Could be totally different reason for you.

Well, I don't think there is one right answer for everyone, and without knowing a lot more about you PeggySue22, I will just have to offer my general knowledge... I have had depression for years and I've noticed that when my blood sugar is low I am worse. If I have not eaten since 5 or 6 PM and I am up till 11 or later, I need to eat again just for the sake of good mental and phsical health. Foods with protein are good for me at night., and sweets are not so good.

More time to think at night, plus it's dark and gloomy. Also sunlight is known to lift the mood, so at night your mood could be dipping. I wonder if perhaps you may have S.A.D. - seasonal affective disorder - ask your doc about this, particularly if your depression lifted during the spring/summer months and returned as Autumn draws near. You can get a light box which will help. Just a thought, but it's worth looking into - it's very common apparently. Good Luck xx