How Does Your Sleep Pattern Affect Your Mental Health?

By Ashley Lipman

Sleep is one of the human body’s most required activities. It is as essential as breathing, drinking, and eating. During nightly rest, our bodies repair themselves, and our brains process information and consolidate memories.

Sleeping poorly tends to lead to physical problems, including a weakened immune response. In terms of mental health, it can worsen symptoms of several disorders, including anxiety or depression. Let’s take a closer look at how your sleeping patterns affect you.

Why you need sleep

The human body goes through different stages during nightly rest. These include quiet sleep and REM sleep. The deepest stage of slumber results in changes that increase immune system function.

The REM stage is essential for improving learning and memory and is also associated with emotional health. When our rest is disrupted, thinking and feelings are impaired. This is why insomnia can accentuate psychiatric disorders.

What Happens When You Don’t Rest Enough

Insomnia is a risk factor for several mental disorders. These include depression, anxiety, bipolar, and ADHD.

Studies have shown that sleep problems increase the risk of depression by as much as four times. Patients with this illness who also have insomnia do not respond as well to treatment as those who sleep better. Lack of adequate rest also results in a higher likelihood of suicidal thoughts.

Insomnia can be a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders, but the correlation is not as strong as that with depression. Lack of rest worsens anxiety disorders and makes recovery more difficult. This may be because sleep disruptions contribute to the retention of negative emotional memories.

Patients with bipolar disorder tend to experience an intensification of sleep problems before episodes of depression or mania. Insomnia is known to trigger these episodes. Sleep problems affect moods and can increase the chance of relapses.

Sleep disorders are also common in children with ADHD symptoms. It is often hard to discern which causes which. Research has shown that children with sleeping disorders can show hyperactivity, lack of attention, and emotional instability.

How to Improve Your Sleep for Better Health

There are many possible ways to improve your rest and, consequently, your mental health. In many cases, it is necessary to make lifestyle changes. For example, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can improve your rest.

Getting regular exercise, especially aerobic activity, can also help you rest better. Many people also find relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing helpful.

Parade magazine ran a recent post on the importance of being comfortable to sleep well. Consider whether changing your pillows or mattress might contribute to quality slumber.

Improving your “sleep hygiene” can enable you to avoid insomnia, as well. Tips for this include:

Keeping a regular schedule for going to bed and waking up

Using the bedroom only for sleep and sex

Keeping the bedroom dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature

Avoiding distractions like computers, smartphones, and TV

Conclusion

Insomnia can put you at a higher risk of developing mental disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar, and ADHD. However, there are many practical actions that you can take to get better rest and avoid serious consequences.

Author Bio

Ashley Lipman is an award-winning writer who discovered her passion for providing knowledge to readers worldwide on topics closest to her heart – all things digital. Since her first high school award in Creative Writing, she continues to deliver awesome content through various niches touching the digital sphere

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