Weird Symptom - Depressive Mood at Specific Time of Day

[Autodidact]

Hey everyone,

So this is something I've always struggled with and have no idea if it's connected to my CPTSD or some other process but I've always had difficulty with depressive slumps in late afternoon, just as the sun is setting.

I know when I was younger my mom used to really harp on me about having wasted the day if I slept "too late" (I would stay up all night to avoid my family, it was the only time I felt safe) and also that there might be some attachment to "this is the time parents came home and I had to start masking and pulling away from my safe spaces" - but I was wondering if that's even a thing? Does one's body tack emotional flashbacks to times of day? Has anyone else experienced this?

<3
Auto

[Gromit]

I do not see why not.

Something happened to my child and a years later, at the very same time of day I started sobbing, I had not been able to cry about it before then. I was actually out when I started feeling it, didn't know the time, but managed to hold it together until I was home.

There are external markers for times, light, sound etc, why shouldn't your body respond?

G

[dollyvee]

Hi Auto,

It could be for sure. I also think cortisol naturally declines in the afternoon (and is supposed to be highest in the morning). However, after years of hypervigilance (chronic stress = chronic elevated cortisol) those rhythms can be upset or exaggerated perhaps. Underlying inflammation in the body (food intolerances, infections -SIBO, GI stuff, EBV, lyme, mycotoxins) can also lead to higher cortisol as your body tries to stabilize these things. One way to find out might be to try and eliminate all these things first and see if perhaps there is an underlying root cause that might be contributing to your mood changes. I know gluten affected my mood for years as does low zinc levels. 

I think though your gut and intuition is your biggest guide alongside testing sometimes.

Hope you find the answer,
dolly