One of the biggest problems of Americans today are sleepless nights caused by a number of reasons. Sleep deprivation is especially common in individuals who work the night shift and those who have time critical jobs like doctors, EMTs, and call center agents. Losing out on sleep can be one of the most damaging things you can do to your body. Not only will you miss out on a great night of sleep, but you also affect your mental health.
How Sleep Affects Your Mental Health
You may be wondering how your sleep patterns affect your mental health. We’ve got you covered with this article. We will be going over how sleep can affect your mental health and vice versa so you know what constant sleepless nights mean for your mental wellbeing.
Sleep Gives Your Brain a Chance To Repair Itself
Your mental health has a great amount of influence on your general wellbeing. Your personality and attitude towards life are part of this. However, we shouldn’t forget that your mental health, personality and attitude are all affected by your brain.
Your brain is the center of your entire body and lack of sleep has a big effect on how it functions. It prepares you both mentally and physically for the next day through sleep. Whenever you sleep, your brain remains awake. It cleans and resets itself during your slumber. However, missing out on sleep means that it can’t reset and clean itself, leaving you worse for wear.
Sleep Reduces Stress
We encounter stress on a daily basis. It can come from a number of sources but all of them leave you mentally exhausted at the end of the day. Sleep gives you an opportunity to forget the stress you’ve had to deal with. It refreshes you for the next day. However, missing out on sleep makes stress harder to deal with. The worst part is that prolonged stress has a direct effect on your mental health.
Sleep Deprivation Makes You More Irritable and More Prone To Mental Health Disorders
Sleep deprivation is synonymous with irritability. But it is also heavily tied to mental health disorders. Sleep deprivation physically changes the brain and causes a person with sleep concerns to be more prone to mental illness. Some of the most common mental disorders that come from it include anxiety and depression.
Insomnia and Mental Health Issues Affect Each Other
Sleep and mental health come hand in hand. They affect each other in a number of ways that many people will neglect. The less sleep you get, the higher your chance of developing a mental disorder. The more mentally unstable you are, the higher your chance of developing insomnia. It’s an endless cycle that can be difficult to break without outside help. Mental health professionals like CNS center are your best friend when it comes to getting your mental health and sleep patterns back on track.
Final Thoughts
Your sleep patterns certainly have an effect on your mental health. Keeping a regular sleep pattern is essential to staying in top mental health.
