Tag: sleep and mental health

Why should one get enough sleep?

We all need sleep, get most of us take it for granted by staying up for  long hours at night watching a screen or blocking the brain with caffeine and other harmful drugs . Many people do not get enough quality sleep, and this can affect their health, well-being, and ability to do everyday activities.

You may think nothing is happening when you sleep. But parts of your brain are quite active during sleep. And enough sleep (or lack of it) affects your physical and mental health. When you sleep, your body has a chance to rest and restore energy. A good night’s sleep can help you cope with stress, solve problems or recover from illness. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many health concerns, affecting how you think and feel.

How much sleep do I need?

Many factors affect how much sleep you need. Age is a big factor:

  • Infants need about 16 hours a day.
  • Toddlers and preschoolers need about 12 hours.
  • Teenagers need about nine hours.
  • Adults need seven to eight (though some are fine with five and others need closer to 10).
  • Pregnant people often need more sleep during the first trimester.

If you haven’t slept well or long enough for a few days, you might create a sleep debt. Once your debt builds up, you may feel physically and mentally exhausted. Try to make sure you get enough sleep every night to avoid creating this debt. You can’t necessarily make up your debt by sleeping a lot on the weekends. It’s best to get enough sleep all week long. A person who is getting too little quality sleep may experience a range of symptoms including: fatigue, irritability, mood changes, difficulty focusing and remembering, reduced sex drive

In1965 , an experiment was conducted where a high school boy stayed up for 264 hours or 11 days. He slowly lost focus of the eye, became moody and irritable, he stopped sensing stimuli and could not concentrate or retain memories. We grow sleep due to signals from our body hormones like melatonin and adenosine that send us into a deep doze.

During the night, you cycle through two types of sleep: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Your brain and body act differently during these different phases. During non-REM stages, your body-Builds bone and muscle, Repairs and regenerates tissues, Strengthens the immune system. When you enter REM sleep, brain activity increases again, meaning sleep is not as deep. The activity levels are like when you’re awake. That’s why REM sleep is the stage where you’ll have intense dreams. Usually, REM sleep arrives about an hour and a half after you go to sleep. The first REM period lasts about 10 minutes. Each REM stage that follows gets longer and longer.

Sleeplessness may result in inflammations, hallucinations, high blood pressure and is also related to obesity and diabetes and obesity along with impairment in memory mood, reaction time etc.

How does sleep deprivation cause such immense effects?

 Our brain collects a lot of unwanted information during the day that can be proceed as useful and waste while we sleep. Our brain uses a lot of energy source that leads to build up of adenosine, which increases the urge to sleep and caffeine blocks the pathway of this that causes us to be awake. Waste products if not cleared away overload the brain leading to the negative symptoms of sleep deprivation. A glymphatic system is present in all which acts as a clean-up machine that removes this build up and is active mostly when we are asleep. hence if the brain doesn’t get its sufficient recharge it could lead to dire consequences like insomnia and other fatal disorders that a person can develop. For now, we can be sure that slipping into slumber is a necessity to maintain our health and sanity.

Takeaway

Sleep deprivation can harm a person’s mental and physical health, their performance at school or work, and their overall quality of life. Also, a persistent lack of sleep can lead to complications or indicate an underlying health problem, such as sleep apnea or anxiety. Anyone who is concerned about a lack of sleep should contact a medical professional.

Why should one get enough sleep?

We all need sleep, get most of us take it for granted by staying up for  long hours at night watching a screen or blocking the brain with caffeine and other harmful drugs . Many people do not get enough quality sleep, and this can affect their health, well-being, and ability to do everyday activities.

You may think nothing is happening when you sleep. But parts of your brain are quite active during sleep. And enough sleep (or lack of it) affects your physical and mental health. When you sleep, your body has a chance to rest and restore energy. A good night’s sleep can help you cope with stress, solve problems or recover from illness. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many health concerns, affecting how you think and feel.

How much sleep do I need?

Many factors affect how much sleep you need. Age is a big factor:

  • Infants need about 16 hours a day.
  • Toddlers and preschoolers need about 12 hours.
  • Teenagers need about nine hours.
  • Adults need seven to eight (though some are fine with five and others need closer to 10).
  • Pregnant people often need more sleep during the first trimester.

If you haven’t slept well or long enough for a few days, you might create a sleep debt. Once your debt builds up, you may feel physically and mentally exhausted. Try to make sure you get enough sleep every night to avoid creating this debt. You can’t necessarily make up your debt by sleeping a lot on the weekends. It’s best to get enough sleep all week long. A person who is getting too little quality sleep may experience a range of symptoms including: fatigue, irritability, mood changes, difficulty focusing and remembering, reduced sex drive

In1965 , an experiment was conducted where a high school boy stayed up for 264 hours or 11 days. He slowly lost focus of the eye, became moody and irritable, he stopped sensing stimuli and could not concentrate or retain memories. We grow sleep due to signals from our body hormones like melatonin and adenosine that send us into a deep doze.

During the night, you cycle through two types of sleep: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Your brain and body act differently during these different phases. During non-REM stages, your body-Builds bone and muscle, Repairs and regenerates tissues, Strengthens the immune system. When you enter REM sleep, brain activity increases again, meaning sleep is not as deep. The activity levels are like when you’re awake. That’s why REM sleep is the stage where you’ll have intense dreams. Usually, REM sleep arrives about an hour and a half after you go to sleep. The first REM period lasts about 10 minutes. Each REM stage that follows gets longer and longer.

Sleeplessness may result in inflammations, hallucinations, high blood pressure and is also related to obesity and diabetes and obesity along with impairment in memory mood, reaction time etc.

How does sleep deprivation cause such immense effects?

 Our brain collects a lot of unwanted information during the day that can be proceed as useful and waste while we sleep. Our brain uses a lot of energy source that leads to build up of adenosine, which increases the urge to sleep and caffeine blocks the pathway of this that causes us to be awake. Waste products if not cleared away overload the brain leading to the negative symptoms of sleep deprivation. A glymphatic system is present in all which acts as a clean-up machine that removes this build up and is active mostly when we are asleep. hence if the brain doesn’t get its sufficient recharge it could lead to dire consequences like insomnia and other fatal disorders that a person can develop. For now, we can be sure that slipping into slumber is a necessity to maintain our health and sanity.

Takeaway

Sleep deprivation can harm a person’s mental and physical health, their performance at school or work, and their overall quality of life. Also, a persistent lack of sleep can lead to complications or indicate an underlying health problem, such as sleep apnea or anxiety. Anyone who is concerned about a lack of sleep should contact a medical professional.

Why Do Our Brains Require Sleep?

We spend around one-third of our lifetimes sleeping. Sleeping is as crucial to our bodies as having to eat, drink, and breath, and it is critical for sustaining excellent mental and physiological wellness Sleep allows us to recuperate from both mental and physical effort.

Sleep and health are inextricably linked; sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of poor health, and poor health makes it more difficult to sleep. Sleep problems are also one of the earliest symptoms of a health issue. Anxiety and depression, for example, are common mental health issues that are frequently underlying sleep disorders.

Anxiety might lead your mind to rush, making it difficult to sleep. Oversleeping can result from depression, which might cause you to sleep late or sleep a lot throughout the day. If you have disturbing thoughts, it might also induce sleeplessness. Nightmares and night terrors can be caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These may cause you to wake up and/or make you apprehensive about going asleep. Mania might cause you to feel exhilarated or energised, and you may not feel exhausted or desire to sleep. You may also experience obsessive thoughts that make it difficult to sleep. Medication might cause adverse effects such as sleeplessness, nightmares, and excessive sleep. Sleep issues might also occur after you stop taking your medicine.

We can all gain from bettering our sleeping habits. For most of us, it may simply be a matter of adopting little lifestyle or mindset changes to aid us sleep better. Insomnia (loss of sleep or poor quality sleep) or other sleep issues affect up to one-third of the population.These can have an impact on our mood, energy, and concentration levels, as well as our capacity to stay awake and perform at work during the day.

What factors might contribute to sleep issues?

There are several factors that might influence our sleep. They are as follows:

  • tension or anxiety
  • a change in the sound levels or temperature of your bedroom 
  • a changed schedule, for instance, due to jet lag
  • excessive drinking of  coffee or alcohol
  • consecutive shifts
  • medical or psychiatric issues
  • adverse effects of medications

How to get better sleep?

Often, simple practises might help you sleep better. If they don’t help, talk to your doctor about additional options, especially because sleep disorders might be an indicator of other health concerns.

There are four basic things to think about if you want to recover from a spell of bad sleep:

Health

We know that bad health has an impact on sleep and vice versa. Sleep issues are frequently associated with mental health issues such as sadness and anxiety. It is critical to treat any health problems, for both physical symptoms as well as for any anxieties that may keep you up.

Environment

It is vital to sleep in a comfortable environment, and the bedroom and bed should be the primary areas you connect with sleep. Viewing TV shows playing on your smartphones or other devices, and snacking in bed, especially, all can have an impact on the nature of our sleep. Temperature, excessive noise, and lighting all have an impact on our sleep.

Attitude

It is easy to fall asleep when we can relax and let go of our worries. We’ve all experienced nights wherein we stayed awake and worried. We should attempt to unwind, be less stressed, and calm before going to bed. This might be more difficult than ever these days, but breathing exercises, a hot bath, or meditation can help.

Lifestyle

What you consume might have an impact on your sleep. Caffeine and other stimulants can make it difficult to sleep, and a large or heavy meal close to night can make sleep unpleasant. While alcohol may appear to help you fall asleep, it really lowers the quality of your sleep later on. Exercising during the day is also beneficial to sleep, but because it generates adrenaline, exercising in the evening, however, may be less beneficial.