Aryn Week 3: Can Lack Of Sleep Correlate To Mental Health Issues?

 

As teenagers, sometimes we overlook the importance of sleep. Whether we're staying out late with our friends or staying up to cram for a big test the next day, the amount of sleep we get is never our main priority. There is always something we prioritize over sleep, because in our day-to-day life we don't realize what a lack of sleep can do to our physical and mental health.

As someone who has struggled with mental health issues, I can say that the more I sleep and the more rest I get, the better my mental health is. When we are asleep it gives us the chance to escape from ‘reality’ and get the break that we need. Whenever we don't get enough sleep, it can lead to increased stress, a decreased appetite, a shift in moods, and in the worst cases could lead to a panic attack. Sleep helps maintain cognitive skills, such as attention, learning, and memory. A lack of sleep can greatly affect your performance in school, causing you to lose focus, have a decreased attention span, and can cause you to fall asleep during class. While you're in class, it can be very obvious who gets the recommended 6-8 hours of sleep, rather than the 4-5 hours of sleep that most students get.  

An article for the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry wrote that “Not getting enough sleep or poor-quality sleep can increase the risk for mental health disorders. While insomnia can be a symptom of psychiatric disorders, like anxiety and depression, it is now recognized that sleep problems can also contribute to the onset and worsening of different mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.” However, there are some fixes that one can make to better their nightly routine, to increase sleep quality and quantity. Such as, keeping a consistent wake-up time, setting a bedtime (even though it sounds childish), and creating a healthy sleep environment- avoid bright lights and blue lights, which are transmitted through your iPhone screen, and try to limit electronics in your bedroom. We can also see that exercising regularly and avoiding caffeine and nicotine late in the day can lead to a better night's sleep. 

Have you seen the effects in your everyday life, when you don't get enough sleep?

Works Cited:

https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health