By Yvonne Lee
CNN Medical Producer

The first time I began to associate sleeplessness with depression was after my aunt died. I was 8 years old and living in Los Angeles. My grandmother came to stay with us while the funeral preparations were made. I remember walking into my room and seeing her staring at the wall, eyes red and swollen. My sister and I slept on the floor next to her bed to keep her company. Several times during those few weeks, I woke up in the middle of the night and I'd see my grandmother wide awake, staring at nothing but the wall again. She barely spoke and stayed in bed, even during the day.

At least 80 percent of depressed people experience some form of insomnia, according to David N. Neubauer, M.D, associate director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center – whether it's difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. The link between the two has been well established. Recently, a study published in the journal SLEEP suggests that insomnia is more than just a symptom of depression; it actually increases your risk of getting it. People with insomnia that lasted more than two weeks were one and a half to two times more likely to develop depression.

I experienced insomnia right after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. I was based at CNN's Washington bureau and for months, I couldn't sleep.

I would drive to work absolutely exhausted and numb. Because I lived in Arlington, Virginia, I had to drive past the Pentagon on my way to work. It was an ugly reminder of what how many lives were lost that day.

I worked at the Pentagon on weekends to produce live shots with our reporter. Whenever I walked in, it smelled as if something had been burnt, like you had just put out a campfire.

I didn't realize I was depressed until I saw my doctor and he told me to see a counselor. He prescribed anti-depressants – which did help me get some sleep – until I could get past what happened. Eventually, I felt better and went off the drug and was able to fall and stay asleep.

Have you ever experienced insomnia and later developed depression?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Yvonne Lee
CNN Medical Producer

My grandmother moved in with us when I was 13 years old, after a stroke left half her body paralyzed. She had been overweight for as long as I can remember, and had diabetes along with high cholesterol. With all these risk factors, it was a just a matter of time before she had a cardiovascular event.

I didn't realize that taking care of her would become such a burden to my parents. Just giving her a bath was an ordeal. She would shuffle and drag her left leg along the floor while grabbing the wall to get to the stairs. My parents would hold her arms and practically carry her up the steps to the bathroom.

"It was real hell," my mom said. "She could not control her body, and she's heavier than me."

Recently, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health  found that family members caring for cardiac patients had higher levels of risk factors for heart disease and were three to four times more likely to be depressed than those who provided little or no care. This adds to growing evidence that stress and depression may play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Family members make up 50 percent of those who provide primary care for these patients. My grandmother stayed with my parents for 15 years, with my grandfather moving in a few years after she did. It wasn’t something they could take a vacation from. My parents fixed her meals, massaged her limbs, made sure she exercised, and administered her medications.
 
"I lost weight while I was taking of her. I got frequent headaches.  I had anxiety all the time.  I couldn't invite my friends to my house because you don't know what Grandma is going to do," my mom  said.

I wonder if my parents would have benefited from knowing how to reduce the potential toll that care giving was having on their health.

Is your health being affected by caring for a family member?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your