Each year, it is reported that 25% of Americans suffer from sleeplessness. Insomnia is a prevalent sleep problem that affects your mental health. Insomnia can significantly impact your day-to-day life, making it difficult to focus. Sleeplessness also raises the risks of stress and worry, which diminishes competence and contributes to irritability and low mood at work. Sleeplessness has been linked to mental problems such as sadness and anxiety. It is not as simple as one issue creating the other, but the presence of one frequently signals the presence of the other. If you are experiencing sleeplessness and stress, personalized health strategies for both acute and chronic insomnia can be provided by Yash Mehndiratta MD, DABSM. Keep reading to learn how the two may be linked and the benefits of sleep to your mental health.
An overview of insomnia
Insomnia is a common sleep condition characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep. Insomnia not only makes it hard for people to sleep at night, but it can also cause them to wake up too early in the morning or to wake up in the night and find it impossible to sleep again. Acute insomnia is a short-term, non-recurring attack of sleeplessness. Acute insomnia usually has a clear underlying reason and can persist anywhere from days to weeks. Acute episodes of sleeplessness are frequently triggered by stressful conditions or discomfort in the environment. Chronic insomnia happens at least three evenings each week and lasts three months. Chronic insomnia can be affected by a combination of factors, including a lack of a regular sleep regimen, bad eating habits, and medical issues.
The connection between insomnia and mental illness
In most cases, sleeplessness is a symptom of a deeper issue. Anxiety or stress are responsible for around half of all insomnia cases. Insomnia and mental health issues have a reciprocal association. Untreated insomnia can lead to anxiety disorders, and anxiety problems can raise a person’s risk or severity of sleeplessness. One may cause or worsen the other, but none is technically the cause of the other. One of the most prevalent issues that insomnia patients have is that when they go to the doctor for their insomnia, they fail to report any anxiety-related (or other mental-health) symptoms associated with their insomnia. Failure to mention symptoms frequently results in a preliminary assessment and treatment of the actual problems.
Benefits of sleep to the brain
Sleep is essential for preserving our mental and emotional well-being. Sleep has been shown to help us make better judgments, manage our emotions, and aid memory consolidation and learning. It is easy to see how sleeplessness can exacerbate or even cause mental health issues.
Someone who has a sleep condition or a mental health problem is more likely to have or develop both. Anxiety and despair are typical emotions that almost everyone will encounter at some point in their lives. If the feelings are persistent or intense, visit Sleep Services of Maryland LLC or book an appointment online for treatment.
