It started with mild anxiety.
Emily, who asked that her first name only be used because she was discussing her mental health issues, moved to New York City just out of graduate school and started a marketing job at a large law firm.
She knew it was normal to feel a little nervous. But nothing prepared her for what happened next: chronic insomnia.
With only three or four hours of sleep, it didn’t take long for her anxiety to intensify: at 25, she was “nervously nervous all the time. A wreck.”
One day, when a lawyer at her firm yelled at her, she experienced the first of many panic attacks. On the advice of her doctor, she tried taking sleeping pills in the hope of “resetting” her sleep cycle and improving her mood. It doesn’t work.
Americans are chronically sleep deprived: one third of adults In the United States, they work less than 7 hours a night.Teens fare worse: About 70% of high school students don’t get enough sleep on school nights.
It has profound effects on mental health.
Analysis of 19 studies Studies have found that while sleep deprivation can reduce a person’s ability to think clearly or perform certain tasks, it has a greater negative impact on mood.When the National Sleep Foundation conducted a poll By 2022, half of people who say they sleep less than 7 hours a week also report symptoms of depression.Some studies even suggest that addressing insomnia may help Prevent postpartum depression and anxiety.
It can be seen that sleep is very important. But despite the evidence, is still A psychiatrist shortage or other doctors Being trained in sleep medicine allows many people to educate themselves.
So what happens to our mental health if we don’t get enough sleep? What measures can we take?
How does poor sleep affect your mood?
When people have trouble sleeping, the way they experience stress and negative emotions changes, says Aric Prather, a sleep researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who treats insomnia patients. “For some people, this can have a feed-forward effect—feelings of badness, rumination, and stress can permeate our nights,” he says.
Carly Demler, 40, a stay-at-home mom in North Carolina, said she went Slept one night but didn’t fall asleep. From then on, she got up at least once a week until three or four in the morning, and this continued for more than a year.
She became irritable, impatient, and more anxious.
Hormone blood tests and sleep studies at a university lab gave her no answers. Even after taking Ambien, she still stayed up late. “My anxiety was like a fire that somehow jumped the fence and ended up spreading into my nights,” she said. “I just felt like I had no control.”
Finally Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomniaor CBT-I., came to Ms. Demler’s relief. study CBT-I has been discovered. More effective than sleeping pills in the long run: up to 80% People who try it find their sleep improves.
Ms. Demler learned not to “go crazy in bed.” Instead, she would get up and read a book to avoid associating the bedroom with anxiety, then go back to bed when she was tired.
“Every morning when I wake up and feel well-rested, my gratitude never goes away,” she said. “It was an unexpected silver lining.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teenagers and young children need more.
It’s not just a matter of quantity.this your sleep quality Also very important. For example, if you take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or frequently wake up in the middle of the night, it will be difficult to feel rested, no matter how many hours you spend in bed.
But some people “tend to think they’re functioning well, even if they’re sleepy or have trouble concentrating during the day,” says Lynn Bufka, a clinical psychologist and spokesperson for the American Psychological Association.
Ask yourself how you feel during the day: Do you find yourself more impatient or easily angered? Do you have more negative thoughts, or do you feel more anxious or depressed? Do you find it harder to cope with stress? Do you find it difficult to complete your work efficiently?
If so, it’s time to take action.
How to stop the cycle.
We’ve all heard how important it is to practice good habits sleep hygiene, develop daily habits that promote healthy sleep. It’s important to talk with your doctor to rule out any physical issues that need to be addressed, such as thyroid disease or restless legs syndrome.
But this is only part of the solution.
Conditions like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder can make it difficult to fall asleep, which can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness and make it harder to get a good night’s rest.
“It becomes very difficult to break the cycle,” Dr. Bufka said.
Certain medications, including psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, can also cause insomnia. Ramaswamy Viswanathan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at SUNY Downstate Health, said if a drug is causing the problem, talk to your doctor about switching to another medication, Take it earlier in the day or lower your dose. University of the Sciences and incoming president of the American Psychiatric Association.
This cycle can also affect those without mental health disorders, as worry can lead to worsening sleep, and sleep deprivation can lead to worsening mood.
Emily, who works at a large law firm, would become so worried about not being able to sleep that she wouldn’t even want to go to bed.
“You really start to believe ‘I’ll never sleep,'” she said. “The adrenaline is so high, there’s no way you can do this.”
Eventually, she stumbled upon Saying Goodnight to Insomnia by Greg D. Jacobs. This book uses CBT-I. Technology has helped Emily reframe her perspective on sleep. She started writing down her negative thoughts in a journal and then turned them into positive thoughts. For example: “What if I never get to sleep again?” becomes “Your body is made for sleeping. If you don’t get enough rest one night, eventually you won’t.” These exercises helped her No more disasters.
Once she started sleeping again, she felt “happier.”
Now, at age 43, nearly 20 years after moving to New York, she still relies on the techniques she learned and takes the book with her whenever she travels. If she doesn’t sleep well outside, “I’ll catch up on it for a few days if necessary,” she said. “I feel more relaxed about it.”
