SLEEP IT OUT - HOW SLEEP AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH? MindsetOpediaDMHC Blogs

A widely famed phenomenon, sleep is a concept that is related to many physical, emotional as well as mental issues. If you look at your own life, you will observe that one day of no sleep results in headaches, low productivity in activities and disturbed mood. Imbalance of daily functioning caused by such sleep deprivation is a common phenomenon. Yet another field of study is the relationship between sleep and mental health. To understand this relationship, let us see how sleeps acts as different agents in different or same mental disabilities. For instance, for some individuals who suffer from depression, they rate lack of sleep or even insomnia as a regular symptom. However for some individuals who suffer from depression, they experience over-sleeping with continuous 10-15 hours. Such a spectrum of the degree of sleep experience by individuals of the same disorder is peculiar yet interesting to research.

The question remains that how does sleep affects mental health or vice-versa? Research in this area suggests that both phenomenons have dual affect on each other. In other words, individuals may experience trouble sleeping or over-sleeping due to an a cute mental health condition, or severe lack of sleep may cause mental health disturbances for some individuals. Again, research studies indicate that the former is a common symptom in mental disorders. However, the latter is a condition that can be altered to a more healthy lifestyle. In this case, doctors and psychologists recommend consistent hours of sleep or naps in between work in order to reduce mental health imbalance. Stress due to lack of sleep is another indicator that an individual is directed towards an unhealthy mental health condition. Moreover, sleep deprivation also causes memory disturbances, distracted attention, lowered productivity of carrying out daily tasks and even affects cognition and creativity. Hence, such answers also lie in the biological studies where the brain finds it difficult to receive information with poorly charged receptors due to sleep deprivation.

Therefore, the most effective method of regulating positive mental health is to sleep it out! Shorts naps and good hours sleep at night helps maintain positive mental, physical and emotional health.

By,

Archie Kohli

Council Member

WICCI-DMHC