How Did You Sleep Last Night?
It’s a simple question, but it reveals a lot about your mental health. What excuses do you have today? Did you stay up late again? Couldn't stop scrolling? Or was that series just too interesting to turn off?
Is poor sleep a cause or a result of something deeper? The classic chicken or egg dilemma. Or is it the first red flag that something might be off?
Before rushing to buy a new, comfy mattress, maybe we should think about the real root causes of our sleep quality. There’s a lot of science behind why sleep matters so much, and it’s more than just feeling tired. Poor sleep can be linked to mental health struggles, childhood trauma, and even conditions like ADHD.
Why does sleep matter so much?
A new study sheds light on how sleep, particularly REM sleep (the dreaming phase), helps us process emotional memories, which is crucial for our mental health. During REM sleep, certain brain chemicals like serotonin and noradrenaline are inactive, allowing our brain to sort out emotional experiences without triggering stress. This is when the hippocampus (which stores new memories) and the amygdala (which processes emotions) work together to reorganize our memories, making them less overwhelming.
But what happens if this process is disrupted? For those with sleep disorders, impaired REM sleep can block this important emotional processing, increasing the risk of mental health issues.
And if you’ve experienced childhood trauma, the impact on sleep can be even more profound. Studies show that adults who went through significant childhood trauma are more than twice as likely to have trouble sleeping. The effects can last for decades, with each adverse childhood experience (ACE) increasing the risk of inadequate sleep in adulthood by 20%. Those with a high number of ACEs may experience more severe insomnia, waking up frequently during the night, and struggling to feel rested even after a full night’s sleep.
The link between sleep and mental health extends even further. In individuals with ADHD, sleep problems are common, including delayed sleep phases and an increased risk of disorders like restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. Chronic late sleep in these individuals can lead to a cascade of negative health effects, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
If this post has caught your attention, let it be the first step toward asking yourself some important questions. It’s never too late to recognize the signs and take action. Your mental health and sleep are deeply connected—take care of both.
Comments