How Does Sleep Affect Your Mental Health?
An adult requires at least seven hours of sleep per night for optimal health and wellbeing. The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. After a good night’s sleep, your body is better equipped for recovery, so you can start the day feeling rejuvenated. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals have sleep issues and do not get enough rest. There has been a dramatic increase in sleep disturbances since the pandemic started, with 2 in 3 Americans indicating that they now stay in bed more or less than they would like. Here’s how sleep deprivation affects your mental health.
Sleep and your mood
Insomnia and a disturbed sleep schedule may hurt mental health. A sleep-deprived person is more easily agitated and more easily fatigued. Short-term issues such as depression, cardiovascular disease, and impaired glucose tolerance may have long-term and more catastrophic implications.
Anxiety and bipolar illness may be exacerbated by poor sleep. Psychological concerns may also cause a lack of sleep. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, get in touch with a mental health specialist immediately.
Stress
Having a hard time sleeping may significantly raise your level of stress during the day. It’s impossible to avoid becoming annoyed by even the tiniest inconveniences when suffering from insomnia. Even the most routine of tasks may seem like an unbearable burden. You may get irritable, angry, and yell at everyone.
The sleep deprivation in and of itself may be aggravating. Being up all night may make you feel powerless and uneasy. It’s also important to note that getting enough sleep might help alleviate some of the effects of stress.
Depression
More than seventy percent of patients with depression have difficulty sleeping or staying asleep. In order of precedence, which comes first? Either one may serve as a starting point. If you don’t get enough sleep, you may find yourself more susceptible to depression in the long run or even years down the road.
Depression is also linked to sleep problems, such as reducing the quantity of regenerative slow-wave slumber a person receives each night. Anxiety and paranoia are common symptoms of this condition, as are nightmares. People who get enough sleep are less likely to be depressed and more productive throughout the day.
Anxiety
Many people have anxiety-induced insomnia. If this issue persists for a long time and is not addressed, it can cause a devastating effect on mental health.
Insomnia is a significant problem for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because it makes it more challenging to cope with worry. Adults’ degree of discomfort will also rise if they have a poor sleep, rendering them restless and upset.
However, a good night’s sleep may improve your health in several ways, including boosting immunity and capacity to fight PTSD.
Sleep boosts mental wellbeing
Adults who sleep for more than seven hours per night are more likely to suffer less from the effects of long-term mood disorders such as clinical depression, panic attacks, and generalized anxiety disorder. However, persons with anxiety or depression are found to sleep fewer than six hours per night
You can prevent diabetes by getting enough sleep
According to research, people who sleep fewer than five hours a night are more likely to acquire diabetes.
According to a recent study, a lack of deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by affecting the body’s capacity to absorb glucose, which the body requires for energy.
Sex desire is boosted when you get enough sleep
According to research, libido (the urge for sex) is reduced in both men and women who lack enough sleep. In addition to disrupted sleep, men suffering from apnea have reduced testosterone production, affecting their libido.
A good night’s sleep may prevent heart disease
In the long run, sleep deprivation may raise your heart rate, heart rate, and levels of substances linked to inflammation, which might also put more stress on your heart.
A good night’s sleep boosts fertility
In both men and women, sleep deprivation has been related to an increased risk of infertility. According to a recent study, sleep problems may cause infertility by reducing hormone levels.
How to sleep better
Being well-rested and getting healthier depends on getting enough high-quality sleep. Insomnia may be alleviated by following these easy tips.
● Maintain a regular bedtime and wake-up routine. Try to always retire to bed and wake up in the morning at the same time each day. If you follow a pattern, you may improve the ease of going to sleep and waking up.
● Do not use the bed for anything else other than sleep or sex.
● Reduce your intake of caffeine. A cup of caffeinated drink or a single cup of coffee each morning might equal a restless night for some individuals.
● Be more physically active. Engage in a regular cardiovascular activity like strolling, jogging, swimming, or dancing. You’ll be able to fall asleep sooner, reach a more significant proportion of rejuvenating deep sleep and be awoken less often throughout the night.
● Reduce the number of naps you take throughout the day. You may not fall asleep if you take a lengthy nap, which might disturb your regular sleep pattern.
● If you’re a smoker in any manner, you need to stop. When you smoke, it’s more challenging to go to sleep.
● Be careful while drinking. A drink or two may help some individuals fall asleep since alcohol depresses the neurological system. In reality, this impact is short-lived and may even be a constant disturbance to your sleep. Snoring and other sleep-related breathing issues may be exacerbated by drinking alcohol.
● Make your bedroom and bed a better place to sleep. Remove all electronics from the bedroom, including the tv and smartphone. This is a space for resting. A peaceful, dark, and chilly bedroom with a comfortable mattress and a minimum amount of clutter is the perfect setting for relaxation.
● Relax your mind and body by getting up and reading for around 20 minutes if you’re still awake. Otherwise, you’ll be doomed to a restless night’s sleep.
● Avoid using sleeping drugs if at all possible. You should use sleeping pill medication only as needed and for the shortest possible time.
The bottom line
Almost any adult American has a restless night now and again, but if you are experiencing frequent sleeplessness, you should see your general practitioner. Identifying and addressing any underlying problems will assist you in getting the sleep you need and deserve at night.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/one-year-pandemic-stress
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/stress-and-insomnia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900610/