Psychology Today: Understanding the Connection Between Sleep and Mental Health
"More than one-third of Americans are not getting enough sleep. That’s a lot of people walking around with well-known symptoms like “brain fog,” moodiness, and the general inability to think straight and remember information.
Sleep deprivation is also a major risk factor for health challenges such as:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Heart attack
- Seizures
- Stroke
Your Brain and the Lack of Sleep
Our circadian rhythms control how our body responds naturally to our environment throughout the day. Light cues play a critical role in telling our biological clocks in the brain when to sleep. Mechanisms in the brain produce the hormone melatonin at night and stop producing it when we sense light.
Sleep drive also plays a role. Your body craves sleep in the same way it hungers for food or thirsts for water. As you go through the day, your brain’s desire for sleep builds, and when it reaches a certain level, you need to sleep.
In one study, researchers discovered that sleep deprivation disrupts our neurons’ ability to communicate with each other, leading to lapses that affect memory and visual perception.
The Connection Between Sleep and Mental Health
Sleep deprivation can trigger mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety and mental health issues can worsen insomnia or other sleep disorders.
The first symptom you might experience, even after just one night of poor sleep, is “brain fog,” but you may also notice emotional disturbances.
Getting enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night) is essential to leading a healthy lifestyle, and if you have mental health challenges, it’s even more important to practice good sleep hygiene.
How to Improve Sleep and Mental Health
1. Stick to a morning and night routine.
Brains thrive on routine. Start by intentionally getting up at the same time every morning and going to bed at the same time every night.
2. Create a sleep environment that promotes relaxation.
- Keep lighting soft and minimal
- Invest in a mattress that you love
- Organize your space and keep it clutter-free
- Play white noise or soft music
- Diffuse essential oils that promote sleep (e.g., lavender, chamomile, jasmine, cedarwood, and sandalwood)
3. Speak to a clinician or health professional.
If you continue to struggle with sleep, it may be time to talk to your healthcare provider so you can begin to understand the root of your challenges with sleep. You may also be glossing over the severity of physical (e.g., asthma or sleep apnea) and mental (e.g., depression or anxiety) conditions, which may be disrupting your sleep more than you realize.
Talking about your sleep challenges with a clinician will give you peace of mind and likely help minimize their impact on your life."
Read the full article here!
Reflection:
Do you have a regular sleep schedule? Have you noticed the way a lack of sleep has affected your mental health?
*I have noticed a steep decline in my mental health when I'm in college due to the countless sleepless nights I've had. If I pull an all-nighter, I notice I have brain-fog immediately. It's very hard to even concentrate on a casual conversation let alone a lecture.*
#Sleep #MentalHealth #Research
@comfortableNight4463
Do you have a regular sleep schedule? Have you noticed the way a lack of sleep has affected your mental health?
@comfortableNight4463
Without a proper's night sleep I will not only feel tired, but more prone to negative emotions like sadness, anger and a general apathy towards life. Since knowing how my body is, I started proactively timing when I go to sleep and keeping a consistent time of waking up in the morning.