Struggling with mental health issues is already difficult enough on its own, and not having enough quality sleep only makes things worse. Discover what you can do to deal with both problems.
Do you notice that you tend to get cranky or easily annoyed when you lack sleep? There is a reason why there is a saying that talks about “waking up on the wrong side of the bed.” The time and quality of your sleep can affect your mood, disposition, and mental state for the day. In fact, studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between mental health and sleep.
In this article, we will consider the significance of this relationship, particularly to people who struggle with mental health issues.
The relationship between sleep and mental health
You must already be aware of the fact that sleep is essential to your physical health. After all, it supplies your body with the energy it needs while allowing it to heal and recharge from the stress and exertion of the day. Sleep boosts your immune system, strengthens your heart, and increases your productivity. Accordingly, the lack of sleep is dangerous to your body and increases your risk of death.
But did you know that sleep is also crucial to your emotional and mental health? Not getting enough sleep could lead to feelings of anxiety, heightened stress, inability to concentrate, and lack of motivation.
The thing is, your brain activity fluctuates during your sleep, and it rises and falls according to the different stages of the sleep cycle. In the sleep cycle known as rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, the brain activity picks up and allows for better thinking, learning, and memory upon waking up.
REM sleep also affects how your brain processes emotional information. This is because as you sleep, your brain examines and works through your thoughts and memories. Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, also known as deep sleep, is just as important. It is the phase of the sleep cycle when your brain and body can feel rested and restored.
The lack of sleep then hampers your brain’s opportunity to recall positive emotional experiences, resulting in mood swings, depression, loneliness, and emotional activity.
At the same time, your emotional and mental health issues also contribute to your lack of sleep. For instance, overthinking and worrying can keep you awake at night and contribute to your insomnia. Trauma can also cause nightmares and night terrors.
There is also obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that causes you to pause breathing while sleeping, thereby diminishing your body’s oxygen levels. It has been found that OSA heightens the risk of mental distress and occurs more frequently among people with psychiatric disorders.
As such, the relationship between sleep and mental health is a two-way street. The lack of sleep contributes to mental health issues, while mental health issues cause the lack of sleep.
Specific mental health conditions that affect sleep
Depression
One of the most common symptoms and effects of depression is the disruption of sleep. If you have depression, you either end up sleeping too long and too often, or you barely get any sleep at all. Nonetheless, no matter how the sleep disruption manifests, the end result is the same: the quality of sleep is poor. This is because depression shortens the amount of NREM sleep that you get every night.
Having depression means that you largely feel unmotivated, and so you just spend your days drifting in and out of sleep. But this sleep usually leaves you feeling even more tired, instead of making you feel refreshed.
Unfortunately, poor sleep can exacerbate your condition. This is why you may find yourself in a loop wherein your depression worsens your sleep quality, and your sleep quality worsens your depression.
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are known to cause excessive fear and worry, to the point of hampering everyday life. This amount of brain activity contributes to a state of mental hyperarousal, which is a known contributor of insomnia. It is then unsurprising that 90% of people who are diagnosed with anxiety report issues with falling asleep and staying asleep.
Although insomnia is associated with various anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is particularly seen in those with anticipatory anxiety. This is because a person who has anticipatory anxiety will stay up the entire night, ruminating over everything that could go wrong. It may even result in sleep anxiety, wherein the person inflicted is preoccupied with the possibility of dying or acquiring harm while sleeping.
Even when a person with anxiety has fallen asleep, it is highly likely that he will wake up at some time through the night. And when he tries to go back to sleep thereafter, he will likely find his thoughts racing yet again, thus leading to sleep fragmentation.
Bipolar disorder
A person who is inflicted with bipolar disorder will go through extreme episodes of mood swings. There is the high, called mania, and the low, called depression. Consequently, their sleeping patterns and cycles change according to their emotional state. When they are on a high, they feel less need to sleep as they are excited and active. In contrast, they may sleep excessively when they are on the low.
But, if you are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you would know that the sleep disruption continues on even in between episodes. This is because your body’s internal clock would have been messed up at that point. Research has also found that a further disturbance in the sleep cycle is a sign of a manic episode coming on. In this sense, bipolar disorder affects sleep at every turn.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that is considerably less common than the aforementioned. Much of its symptoms involve delusion and the inability to differentiate reality from imagination. Nonetheless, it affects sleep just as much, as research suggests that schizophrenia and sleep and circadian rhythm disruption (SCRD) have similar gene expressions. Medications for schizophrenia are also known to cause sleep problems.
How to deal with sleep and mental health conditions
Dealing with sleep problems and having been diagnosed with mental health issues may seem like completely different concerns that need to be addressed individually. However, there are ways to hit two birds with one stone.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a kind of talk therapy that involves the examination of thoughts patterns and recalibration of negative beliefs. It has many variations, depending on the issue it addresses, but it is most known as a treatment for depression and anxiety.
There is also a type of CBT that was specifically created to deal with insomnia. Results show that in the process, there is an improvement of well-being and a decrease in symptoms of mental health issues.
Nevertheless, different types of CBD can be combined in the same treatment plan, and so you can employ this therapy for both your sleep and mental health problems.
Better sleep hygiene
You may think that this may not do much to address your mental health issues, but studies have shown that poor sleep hygiene actually worsens depression, anxiety, and other such diagnoses. Accordingly, better sleep hygiene would then help in managing the symptoms of mental health issues.
Here are several things that you can do to promote better sleep hygiene:
- Maintain a steady sleep schedule. When you make plans, plan around your sleep. It should be one of the primary mainstays in your agenda. To make sure that you don’t forget, immediately block out your time of sleep in your planner. You can also use planner apps like TimeBloc, so that you can receive a reminder for when it’s time for bed.
- Practice relaxation techniques before going to bed. Consider doing some deep breathing or meditation exercises to ease your body into sleep.
- Put away electronic devices at least 2 hours before your bedtime.
- Avoid food and drinks that are high in sugar or caffeine beyond 3 pm.
- Make yourself comfortable. If you can, invest in a quality mattress and soft blankets and pillows.
Medication
If you plan on taking medication for your sleep and mental health issues, make sure that you consult with your doctor first. Some medications cannot be used together, so a proper prescription is important to ensure non-toxicity.
There will be times when you find that symptoms of your mental health condition only worsens other parts of your life, even affecting something as biological as sleep. Luckily, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed, as there are ways to overcome both sleep and mental health problems.
