Importance of Sleep x Mental Health

Why do we sleep? This is a question for which we do not have an exact and clear answer, but what we do know is that sleep has an important and necessary function for our organism. We spend a third of our lives sleeping, this number is perhaps enough to show the importance of sleep, otherwise we would not sleep that long. What is known is that sleep has an important restorative function, that is, sleep causes our body to recover from the energies spent during the day, leading us to a picture of energy balance, benefiting our health. physical and emotional.

We may not be sure what the exact function of sleep is, but we know very well the effects that its lack brings to our organism, right? Have you woken up in a bad mood and irritated? Have you ever been sleepy and more tired than usual during the day? Have you ever had problems with memory and attention when you needed to stay up all night? So we already have an idea that lack of sleep can lead to impairment of both our physical health and our emotional health.

The relationship between sleep and mental health is complex and requires a wide understanding of the factors involved. It is also bidirectional, that is, both sleep problems can interfere with our emotional health, and our emotional and psychological condition can interfere with the quality of our sleep.

Sleep disorders, including insomnia, are among the most common and disabling symptoms in patients with some psychiatric disorder such as depression and anxiety as well as burnout and bipolar disorder. We can say that insomnia is the sleep disorder that is most associated with psychiatric disorders, as well as having a more evident relationship with mental health.

The most striking feature of insomnia is the difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep or the existence of non-restorative sleep, causing discomfort to the patient or impairing his social and occupational functioning. The most frequent causes of insomnia are environmental, behavioral changes or psychological factors, such as fear and anxiety.

Insomnia and depression

Another important relationship is between insomnia and depression. This relationship is also complex, but people with insomnia tend to have a higher level of depression and vice versa. According to a study on sleep in the general population, people who had chronic insomnia were more likely to have psychiatric symptoms when compared to people who had no complaints or sleep problems.

The opposite also happens: patients with depression, anxiety or other psychiatric illnesses may have changes in their circadian waking / sleeping rhythm, thus leading to a worsening of their condition. In patients with bipolar disorder, for example, sleep deprivation can lead to mania, and the presence of insomnia symptoms can indicate that the patient is moving from the depressive phase to the hypomanic phase (4). In these cases, it is necessary to manage sleep disorders in order to avoid worsening the symptoms of the psychiatric condition.

Another important point to be taken into account when talking about the relationship between sleep and mental health is the use of medications. The psychotropic drugs used in the treatment of psychiatric conditions, including antidepressants, generally alter the structure of sleep, affecting its quality. Some neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood and motivation may have abnormal regulation in patients with depression, thus contributing to sleep disorders in these patients. Therefore, the importance of choosing natural supplements. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Therefore, it is noted that insomnia symptoms or psychiatric symptoms are usually very distressing for the individual who experiences such events. Thus, its identification and treatment can not only improve the severity and course of psychiatric illnesses, but also the quality of life and the quality of sleep.

The treatment of choice in most cases is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as there are dysfunctional behavioral and cognitive components that perpetuate insomnia disorder, as well as the maintenance of psychiatric symptoms. CBT is effective when the patient has negative beliefs about himself, about others and about the future, leading to bad feelings and consequently dysfunctional behaviors.

Tips to keep your mental health up to date

Thus, taking care of our sleep is taking care of our mental and physical health, so below are some tips to keep your mental health up to date and quality sleep.

· Do physical activity, even if you have not slept enough, physical activity helps to release substances that relax and give pleasure;

· Try to have regular sleep times, especially when you wake up, this can improve the onset of sleep at night;

· Stay in routine during the week and on weekends, the brain needs synchronizers, this helps to regulate your biological rhythm;

· Expose yourself to the sun in the morning, but if you can't, look for sunnier places, the sun is a great ally for both sleep and our mind.

· Eat well, healthy eating is also important for well-being and quality of life, if necessary, seek a nutrition professional;

· Try to empty your mind, breathe, relax, these exercises calm down, reduce anxiety, thus improving nights of sleep.

· Do activities that give you pleasure, set aside some time in the week for you, it makes all the difference to your emotional health.

· And lastly, be light and flexible with yourself, it helps to deal with the burden of routine and day-to-day tasks.

· Seek natural medicines 

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