Quality sleep is so important for so many different aspects of your health and well-being. Not getting enough sleep or waking up regularly throughout the night can affect your body’s ability to recover from disease and injury, weaken your immune system, affect your energy levels and productivity, and leave you with aches, strains, and chronic pain. One impact that is often overlooked is sleep’s effect on mental health. Sleep deprivation can cause serious mental health problems, which can cause a huge toll on your life if not effectively addressed.
To help everyone who is suffering from poor sleep, this article will explain the importance of constant quality sleep to your mental health.
Stress and anxiety
We all live very busy lives these days; the pressures of work, family responsibilities, financial considerations, and political and social issues all take their toll. Stress and anxiety disorders have been on the increase for decades and these days there are more people than ever who are taking medication to help deal with the stresses in their lives and the feelings of worry and anxiety that they cause.
While drugs and alternative therapies can help you deal with the symptoms of stress and anxiety, getting enough sleep can help to prevent them from developing in the first place. Sleep deprivation causes enormous chemical imbalances in our bodies and brains. When you are regularly tired, your body produces increased levels of cortisol, which is the hormone that creates feelings of anxiety. Furthermore, many people who are tired in the morning overcome this problem by drinking caffeine, which also leads to cortisol production. By getting enough sleep, your body will be refreshed and stress-free.
Chronic pain
These days, a significant number of people have problems with chronic aches and pains due to sitting at a computer all day at work in an uncomfortable chair. These problems can be further exacerbated by an uncomfortable bed which puts your neck and spine in an uncomfortable position. The experts at iSense explain that having the right mattress and pillow are the most important factors in creating a comfortable sleeping environment and keeping your neck and spine healthy. In recent years, the development of adjustable pillows and foam pillows has totally revolutionised the bed industry.
Adjustable pillows enable sleepers to change the amount of filling in their pillow to create the perfect firmness. Different people like different pillows so this is an ideal solution. Foam mattresses provide added support to the spine and neck so that you will wake up without any aches and pains. Chronic pain can lead to depression and unhappiness so it is vital that you address the underlying cause and create a comfortable bed.
Nightmare disorder
Nightmare disorder is a horrible condition that affects many people around the world and which can seriously harm mental and emotional health and lead to chronic fatigue and sleep deprivation. There are various factors that can lead to a nightmare disorder such as watching horror movies before bed or taking certain medications, but one major reason for bad dreams is not getting enough regular, uninterrupted sleep. Nightmares occur more often when people keep waking up through the night. It is important to take the steps necessary for improving the overall quality of your sleep in order to prevent the occurrence of nightmares and protect your mental health.
Emotional imbalance
Our emotions are very sensitive and are impacted upon by both our internal chemical balances and environmental factors. As noted above, not getting enough sleep can affect your cortisol production and there are various other hormones and chemicals which are often produced when you have sleep problems and which can affect your mood and emotions. In addition, when we have had enough sleep and are healthy and refreshed, we are far better at dealing with the various difficult situations that occur in our lives.
We have all experienced a time when we are run down and everything has just got on top of us. This can lead to serious mental breakdowns and depression. It is therefore very important to always get enough sleep to give yourself the emotional tools that you need to deal with the difficulties of life.
The importance of constant quality sleep really cannot be overstated and yet there are far too many people who do not get enough. The effects of insufficient sleep on our bodies can be dramatic, but the consequences on our mental health can be even more significant and harmful. Stress, anxiety, and depression can all result from poor quality sleep so make sure that you take the right steps to improve your sleep. Start tonight!
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the founder of Psychreg. He interviews people within psychology, mental health, and well-being on his YouTube channel, The DRH Show.
