What Impact Does a Lack of Sleep Have?
Watch the video to explore the impacts that a lack of sleep can have on your physical and mental wellbeing.
In this video we explore the differences between low mood and depression . . .
People use a lot of different terms when talking about wellbeing and mental health, which can often be confusing, especially when the definitions of different symptoms, illnesses or feelings sound similar. One pair of terms that is often confused is Depression and Low Mood.
This video is intended as a short guide to help you understand the difference between these two, interlinked, terms. It's important that if you are concerned about your mental health that you reach out for support, and you can find some suggested ways to get help by searching 'Where to get help with your wellbeing?' on your Wellbeing toolkit.
When you experience a range of intense feelings, it can be difficult to know whether you are suffering from depression or a low mood. To help, here is a basic definition of the two terms
Everyone goes through challenging times, which can trigger feelings of sadness or unhappiness, creating a low mood. When you are experiencing a period of low mood, you may feel anxious, angry, more worried than usual, overly tired or have a low self-esteem.
These feelings tend to lift after a few days or week. Making some small changes in your life, such as resolving a difficult situations, talking about your problems or getting more sleep can often improve your mood.
Depression is different from low mood as it is a clinical mood disorder that causes much more profound lows and impairment for an extended time, be it a few weeks or even months. Depression causes a range of symptoms, which vary from person to person, but you may experience a combination of psychological, physical, or social symptoms. These can include higher anxiety levels, irritability, hopelessness, and low self-esteem. Depression can also make you lose interest in activities that once excited you, cause low energy, create trouble sleeping, and cause an unintentional increase or decrease in weight.