We all know how terrible it can feel when we don’t get a good night’s sleep. Generally, people think that the effects of poor sleep only last a day or two. But the truth is that the impact of sleep deprivation can last quite a long time! Sleep has a wide range of effects on both your physical and mental health.
Thankfully, with some changes to your lifestyle and diet, along with the support of your doctor, you can improve your sleep and transform your mental health.
What Happens When You Sleep?
Your body and mind regenerate as you sleep, allowing some of the deeper-level wellness processes to occur. The most rejuvenating stage of sleep is called REM or rapid eye movement. During this stage of sleep, your body shifts into recovery mode, and repairs begin to occur on a cellular level. This is also the stage of sleep where you may experience more vivid or lucid dreams.
While you sleep, your breathing and heart rate slow down, your muscles relax, and your brain waves slow, all signaling profound physical changes that reset your nervous system and improve your mental health. On a deeper level, what actually occurs while we sleep still remains a bit of a mystery, but one thing we know for sure is that sleep is absolutely essential.
Why Is Regular Sleep Important for Your Mental Health?
A better question to ask is actually what happens to your mental health when you don’t sleep! Sleep deprivation or insomnia can have a range of serious issues. See below for some of the main signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Grogginess and fatigue
- Irritability
- Depression and anxiety
- Obesity
- Heart attack and stroke
- Hypertension
- Memory loss
- Weakened immune system
- Reduced fertility
- Psychiatric disorders
Many of the impacts of sleep are largely unknown, but what we know without a doubt is that without sleep, your mental health can begin to deteriorate and, at an extreme level, can even lead to death! Chronic sleep deprivation can also have a severe impact, leading to an accumulation of a sleep debt that has ever-increasing effects on your health.
Improve Your Sleep with Help from Eastside TMS and Wellness Center
All of this information on sleep may sound frightening, but the good news is that there is a solution! There are now innumerable ways to improve your sleep, thereby improving your overall wellness and mental health.
A great place to start is by implementing some practices to regulate your circadian rhythm, such as using a blue-light filter on your electronics in the evenings, avoiding late-night snacking, and getting into a regular sleep schedule. Bright light therapy is another wonderful way to shift your circadian rhythm and sleep schedule using timed exposure to therapeutic lights.
If you are still struggling with sleep issues and mental health, then it may be time to seek out additional support. At Eastside TMS and Wellness Center, we specialize in improving mental health through various medical techniques, providing you with a deep level of care. Reach out to us today for more information so that you can start sleeping soundly and feeling happier in no time!
