Lack Of Sleep Can Greatly Affect Your Mental Health

According to the CDC 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. The reasons why so many people don’t get the recommended 7-9 hours vary from insomnia to obstructive sleep apnea to bad sleeping habits. Sleep deprivation doesn’t just mean you’re less alert and more irritable, it can lead to serious physical and mental health issues.

Although most people know that sleep is important, more and more research has found that it’s an essential part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sleep allows your body to recover from the day’s activities and releases various hormones so that you’re refreshed the next day. Those who experience prolonged periods of sleep deprivation have been found to have a higher mortality rate than those who get a good night’s sleep. As well, it can lead to a host of health issues such as heart disease, lowered immunity, obesity, and diabetes.

You’re not just dealing with physical problems when you don’t get enough sleep. It can also lead to poor mental health as well. That doesn’t just mean feeling irritable or exhausted. There are some long term consequences that can greatly affect your mental health.

The Relationship Between Sleep and Mental Health

The link between sleep and mental health is quite complex. It’s been known for years that certain mental health conditions could affect people’s sleep cycles. Depression, stress, and anxiety can all make it difficult to fall asleep. Maybe it’s due to elevated levels of the hormone cortisol running through your body. Or perhaps you just have so much on your mind that you simply can’t relax your boxy or mind enough to fall asleep. At some point, it can be hard to know whether you’re having trouble falling asleep because of these issues or you’re dealing with these issues because you can’t sleep. 

The answer may be that both are having an effect on you. Stress, depression, and anxiety can absolutely cause sleeping problems or worsen existing ones. At the same time, a lack of sleep can also aggravate these issues. Even those who might not experience psychiatric issues normally might find that they manifest them when sleep deprived. Sleep and mental health issues go hand-in-hand so it can be hard to break out of that circular cycle.

Stress

Stress has been linked to sleep problems for a long time. You’ve probably experienced the effects sleep has on your sleep cycle during an especially trying time. Maybe you were stressed out about your job or your financial situation. Whatever the trigger, stress can make it much harder to fall asleep. It isn’t until recently that scientists actually might understand the reason why.

As much as we have stigmatized stress, it’s a normal part of life and was an essential part of life when humans were hunter-gatherers. It acts as the body’s natural defense against predators and danger and signals the fight-or-flight mechanism. When you experience stress, your body releases large amounts of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Together these chemicals trigger physical reactions such as increased blood pressure, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness. All of these can help you respond to a potentially hazardous situation. For our ancestors, this response helped them remain alert when a predator. Today, we don’t have to deal with predators so instead our stress reaction gets triggered by money problems, work issues, family, and more. 

So what does all of this have to do with sleep? Stress puts your body in a state of hyperarousal where the brain and body operate on alert. It’s no surprise then that sleep can feel far off for people who are especially stressed out. On top of that, once stress affects sleep, it leads to a downward spiral as sleeping problems can become an added source of stress. Plus, lack of sleep makes you more irritable and emotionally reactive, which can further lead to more stress in your day-to-day life. 

Depression

Insomnia and other sleep problems can be symptoms of depression. In fact, around 65 percent of adults and 90 percent of children who experience depression also experience some kind of sleep problem. Untreated depression leads to feelings of overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and/or guilt. These feelings have a tendency to interrupt sleep. Your mind might be recounting all of your failures in life or ruminating over situations over which you have no control. These thought processes can lead to stress and increased levels of anxiety, which ultimately leads to insomnia.

However, there’s some research that is looking more closely at the link between depression and insomnia. Recent studies have found that insomnia might actually cause (or at least be the precursor) to major depression. People who experienced insomnia were around four times more likely to develop depression than those who had a healthy sleeping habit. As well, it looks like depressed patients who experience insomnia were also less likely to respond to treatment than those who did not have any sleeping problems.

Anxiety

Similar to stress, the relationship between sleep and anxiety goes in both directions. People who have anxiety tend to experience more sleep problems. However, experiencing sleep deprivation can lead to anxiety. This cycle perpetuates both the sleep and anxiety issues. As you would expect, sleep problems affect more than 50 percent of adult patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and are also common in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias. 

If you experience insomnia, you’re also at a greater risk of developing anxiety disorders. Studies have found that children who had problems falling asleep were more likely to develop anxiety. While you can cope with feelings of anxiety yourself, it’s best to get professional help especially if you’re having sleep problems. Even healthy individuals can experience greater feelings of anxiety when they don’t get enough sleep. 

Bipolar Disorder

People with bipolar disorder often have sleep issues whether it’s insomnia, irregular sleep-wake cycles, or nightmares. Bipolar is characterized by periods of depression and elevated moods. When depressed, the feelings of worthlessness and guilt can lead to stress and anxiety. During the manic upswings, the bipolar individual might be in a state of hyperarousal and alertness, making it hard for their brain and body to relax and quiet down.

Reduced sleep can be both be an indicator and trigger for a manic episode in people who have bipolar disorder. During a manic episode, people tend to be irritable, distracted, and more apt to engage in risky behavior. Lack of sleep tends to aggravate these behaviors. On the flip side, during a depressive episode, it can further increase feelings of guilt and hopelessness.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Around 5.3 percent of children between the ages fo six and seventeen are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with that number dropping to around 4.4 percent in adults. There is a wide range of behaviors associated with ADHD and each individual will have varying levels of symptoms. However, the most common include:

• Trouble focusing on tasks

• Forgetfulness

• Being easily distracted

• Having difficultly sitting still

• Poor organizational skills

• Impulsiveness 

People with ADHD are often labeled as unmotivated or lazy, but the truth is that their brain simply has trouble concentrating and focusing on a single task. Instead, their mind will jump around to many different things, especially if the task at hand is mundane or boring. Their brain’s constant need for stimulation leads to sleep problems. Recent research suggests that sleep disturbances might be a predictor or contributor to symptoms of this condition. Children and adults who have ADHD tend to have issues staying asleep, difficulty waking up, breathing issues, night waking, and daytime sleepiness. 

Getting Help

If you’re experiencing extended periods of insomnia or poor sleep quality, you should get it checked out. Speak to your doctor about your issues and of any underlying disorders you may have. Certain types of medication could cause insomnia, for example. If you are having problems staying asleep or are waking up tired, go see a sleep specialist as you might be suffering from sleep apnea. 

If you don’t have sleep apnea, you can still overcome your insomnia. For most people, the treatment for common sleeping problems requires a combination of lifestyle changes, behavioral strategies, therapy, and medication if necessary. Lifestyle changes might be the easiest to do on your own, but they are also the hardest to maintain. In order to improve your chances of falling asleep, you’ll need to take a look at your sleep hygiene and adjust it. Good sleep hygiene means you:

• Maintain a regular sleep-and-wake schedule

• Use the bedroom only for sleep

• Keep the bedroom dark

• Create a sleep routine to signal to your body you are ready to go to bed

• Avoid food and drinks that prevent sleep (soda, cigarettes, tea, coffee)

• Avoid screens at least two hours before bedtime.

For those who are trying to get a handle on their stress and anxiety, a good daily ritual is to practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises, guided imagery, and more. All of these can help to relax both your body and mind. Practice these for at least 5-10 minutes a day a couple of hours before bed to ease your racing mind.

Another great way to encourage sleep is to exercise. While researchers don’t know exactly why exercise improves sleep quality, studies have shown that those who get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day tend to sleep better. The trick is to do it early enough in the day for best results. Working out in the evening may actually interfere with your sleep quality as your body is stimulated from the exercise. 

There are also herbs known to help relax and calm the body and mind such as chamomile and valerian. While they have varying effects on people, both have been shown to help people fall asleep and have been used for this purpose for centuries. Many tea companies have a special blend of herbs for their night-time teas, so it might be a good idea to try out a few. Not only will the herbs help relax you, but drinking a warm beverage can also lead to feelings of warmth and comfort, which can help you feel even more relaxed.

If lifestyle changes don’t work, it might be worth it to try out cognitive behavioral therapy. This goal of CBT is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are causing the person’s problems. It focuses on the thoughts, attitudes, and behavior of the patient by focusing on their thoughts, images, and beliefs. It’s treated for a lot of different issues, including anxiety.

Sleep Is Essential To A Healthy Lifestyle and Mental Health

Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. You might be eating well and exercising, but if you’re not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, chances are you’re putting yourself at risk for developing both physical and mental health issues. It might be tempting to run on only a few hours of sleep, especially when you’re younger, but the effects of sleep deprivation don’t just affect you. Drowsy driving is responsible for over 300,000 crashes, with that number increasing every year. Despite having more conveniences thanks to technology, people are actually getting less sleep every year due to higher demands from work and more entertainment and technology in the homes.

Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t just affect your overall mood the following day, it also can improve your mental health. Sleep problems and mental disorders seem to have a cyclical relationship where they feed off of each other and can ultimately lead to a downwards spiral for both your sleep quality and your mental health. It’s important to treat both issues at the same time instead of only addressing one problem. Even if you’ve never had a mental health issue before, sleep problems can potentially cause people to develop anxiety and, in some cases, depression.

While experiencing a couple of days of insomnia won’t necessarily lead to any problems, besides drowsiness and crankiness, prolonged periods of sleep issues can signal other problems. One of the best ways to determine if you have a sleep disorder is to keep a diary and track your habits and any patterns you might notice. If you’re experiencing regular sleep issues, discuss your problems with a doctor and make sure to bring the diary as it can provide useful insight into potential treatment options.

Lisa Czachowski is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Lisa is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sustainability, natural, sleep products, health, fashion and many more. She is passionate about what providing as much information as possible on products you bring in your home and what we wear.

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