If you can’t seem to break the habit of staying up late to binge watch your current favorite TV show, reading this article might make you go cold turkey.
Sleep is a very vital part of any person’s life.
It’s a key component of a healthy lifestyle, so it’s extremely important that our sleeping habits are in tip top shape. Despite that, a study has shown that an alarming 40% of American adults get less than the recommended hours of sleep.
How We Should Be Sleeping
The average adult is recommended to have at least 7 hours of sleep a night for optimal functioning. Teenagers and children should have longer sleeping periods for healthy growth.
Humans are diurnal creatures, which means that our normal behavior is to be awake during the day, and sleep during the night. Our circadian rhythm — otherwise known as our internal clock — often follows the sun, so when it goes out, so should we.
Unfortunately, in a society that often champions hard work and success at the cost of our health, especially our sleep, we tend to compromise on healthy sleep habits for the sake of being productive.
However, not getting enough sleep can severely harm us in a variety of ways.
What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep?
Poor sleep hygiene can lead to a host of negative health effects on the body and mind, some of which being:
- Issues with memory. Sleep helps our brain make new connections, and depriving ourselves of that opportunity can make things difficult to remember.
- Concentration problems. Creativity and problem-solving skills also take a hit when we’re not caught up on sleep, resulting in mental blocks.
- Difficulty regulating moods and emotions. Lack of sleep often makes us irritable, which can put a strain on our personal and work relationships.
- A weakened immune system. Have you ever noticed that consistent sleepless nights end up in you having the sniffles, or even a straight out cold?
- High blood pressure, which — if chronic — can lead to heart disease, stroke, or heart failure.
- A likelihood of weight gain, as sleep helps regulate our satiety signals. Lack of sleep can negatively impact our ability to feel full, which leads to overeating.
Because sleep is a restorative activity, it can be called our “recovery period.” Not only does it help our bodies and brains rebalance after a long day’s work, it can also treat small, inconvenient ailments, such as period cramps, light-headedness, or nausea.
Sleep isn’t easy to catch up on, and long-term damage can be caused by constantly neglecting to catch some zzz’s. Every once in a while, a late night can be made up for by sleeping in, but constantly playing catch up isn’t doing anyone any favors. Additionally, research has shown that it already takes a whole four days of regular sleeping to recover from only one hour of lost sleep, which makes it even more daunting — and difficult — to counteract late nights if the habit is continuous.
And unfortunately, these outcomes normally get worse when it comes to people who are dealing with mental illness.
How Mental Health Affects Sleep
People who suffer from any sort of mental illness often, in one way or another, find themselves concerned over their sleeping patterns or behaviors. In many cases, significant changes in sleeping habits or sudden sleep problems are often markers when determining the existence of a mental health concern.
Some disorders also prevent an individual from sleeping altogether. People who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — a type of anxiety disorder usually experienced by trauma victims — often have nightmares or night terrors, which prevent them from sleeping. A staggering estimation of nine out of ten people with PTSD are also more likely to develop insomnia.
People with depression or anxiety, on the other hand, can experience either insomnia (the inability to fall or stay asleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping, literally translated as “over sleeping”). Some extreme cases also suffer from sleep apnea, a condition where a person’s soft tissues relax as they sleep, blocking their airway. Their breathing is cut off, forcing them to wake up and intake air, sometimes several times a night. It’s even scarier that people with sleep apnea are unaware that they have such a condition, and it often goes undiagnosed.
Those who have bipolar disorder can also experience excessive energy during their manic or “high” episodes, which can result in sleeplessness for sometimes a period of days.
And the relationship isn’t just one way. Studies have found that having sleep problems can also affect mental health.
How Sleep Affects Mental Health
On the other side of the coin, the habit of deprioritizing getting some sleep itself can lead to a multitude of effects that can directly affect our mental health, and even be a factor when determining the existence of a mental health issue. For example, research has been cited to note that sleep complaints to be a core symptom of depression, and the lack of resolution for the former while treating the latter can lead to a relapse or recurrence of the issue.
Chronic insomnia can affect the overall condition of your brain, especially impacting how it sends and interprets information from your body. Sleep deprivation can tire out your central nervous system, rendering it unable to do its job properly, and can also leave you susceptible to irritability and problems concentrating, as mentioned earlier.
Due to our ever-changing society, the world demands attention nearly 24/7, and to keep up with this demand, companies have begun employing people to work night shifts. Unfortunately, people who work the night shift are at increased risk of depression as they’re going against our bodies’ natural inclination to sleep at night. Similarly, people who suffer from insomnia are ten times more likely to develop depression than their normally-sleeping peers. While there is no direct cause, unhealthy sleep patterns can also worsen currently existing disorders.
It’s been found that lack of sleep can affect the release of serotonin in the body — and the imbalance of serotonin can affect one’s mood in a way that can lead to depression. It can also lead to excessive worry, which can negatively impact people suffering from anxiety disorders. Another effect is the increased likelihood of self-harm.
Lack of sleep can also lead to impulsive behaviors, as one’s decision-making skills can get compromised. This can exacerbate manic episodes in people experiencing bipolar disorder, which can lead to dangerous situations.
How to Deal With It
The good news is that if you suffer from bad sleeping habits, there are ways to improve your situation.
If your sleep problems stem from an existing mental health disorder, it’s best to talk to a medical professional to address these concerns, as well as help you cope. They may prescribe medication, therapy, or other effective ways to deal with the problem.
On your own, exercise is something you can approach to help you regularize your sleep. Not only does it tire you out, which can lead you to sleep a little earlier, but it can also improve your quality of sleep. Most symptoms of mental illnesses can also be remedied or improved by regular exercise.
Another major reason why most of us tend to avoid sleep is because we’re too busy catching up on work to head to bed at the right amount of time. Use apps like TimeBloc to plan your day and manage your time and tasks, which can greatly help get things out of the way before bed.
Setting a bedtime can help you keep a regular schedule of sleep and wake times, which can help you plan out getting the recommended 7 or so hours of sleep. Create a nightly routine to help you unwind, complete with a relaxing skincare regimen and nice sleepwear, to get yourself ready for bed. Sleep is fun, so try not to miss out on any of it!
