Did you know that sleep disorders are more common in people with a mental health disorder? This is because living with mental illness can cause sleeping issues, and sleeping problems can have a negative effect on your mental state.
Board-certified psychiatrist Shakil Tukdi, MD, and the team of mental health providers at Ultimate Psychiatry in Plano, Frisco, Prosper, and Pearland, Texas, specialize in helping patients manage both sleep and mental health disorders.
The relationship between sleep and mental illness is complex but close. Here’s a look at how each affects the other and the ways we can help.
Humans sleep in two main stages: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. These stages make up our sleep cycle.
In NREM, overall brain activity slows down and forms delta waves, which are important for recovery, growth, creativity, and insightful thinking. During REM sleep, your brain activity increases to levels approaching those when you’re awake.
Researchers believe REM sleep plays a key role in your cognitive functioning, helping with, among other things, memory and emotion processing, behavior regulation, perception, attention, and learning.
Studies show that when you don’t get enough sleep, or your sleep quality is poor, mental distress can rise. In fact, it can contribute to the onset or worsening of different mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and having suicidal thoughts.
Scientists are still studying the exact mechanisms behind the link between the lack of quality sleep and mental health, but they do know that the relationship is intimate and complex, since we process our memories and emotions while we sleep.
For example, when people don’t get enough sleep for one night, research shows they are more impulsive, sensitive (moody), and easily angered. This is because without enough sleep, your amygdala, which is a part of the brain that helps regulate emotional responses, is more reactive, causing your emotions to intensify.
Poor sleep also affects your endocrine system, which includes a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. When the hypothalamus isn’t working optimally, it can affect your hormone levels — especially the stress hormone cortisol — making mental symptoms worse.
Just as sleep can affect your mental health, having a mental illness can impact your sleep. In fact, the two are often linked as a “loop,” where one causes or makes the other worse, which does the same in turn.
For example, the two most common mental illnesses in the United States are anxiety and depression. Studies show between 50-90% of people with any type of these disorders also have a sleep disorder.
This makes sense, because if you’re experiencing anxious or depressed thoughts, it can be difficult to relax and sleep. You may even start to feel anxious or worried about sleep, which can make it even harder for you to rest.
Other times, mental health disorders can cause you to sleep too much. This is because sleeping is one of the only times people with anxiety or depression can get away from their troubling thoughts.
Some people have sleep disorders, which make it difficult to get the rest needed for optimal mental health. There are many different sleep disorders. In fact, more than one hundred distinct disorders exist — all with different underlying causes.
While their causes may be different, however, all sleep disorders can affect your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or experience good quality sleep. The way a sleep disorder affects you depends on the disorder you have.
For some people, the symptoms are only moderately frustrating effects, such as feeling groggy. For others, the effects of a sleep disorder can be devastating. They can cause serious mental distress, health issues, and, in rare cases, be life-threatening.
That’s why it’s essential to seek professional help if you’re worried about a sleep disorder. The providers at Ultimate Psychiatry can diagnose your condition and help you get the right treatment for your needs.
At Ultimate Psychiatry, your provider talks with you about your symptoms, reviews your medical history, and completes a physical exam to identify any underlying conditions. Your provider may also recommend getting a blood test and sleep study to help them arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Depending on your sleep disorder, your personalized treatment plan may include:
If you need help managing your mental health, sleep disorder, or both, set up a consultation online or over the phone with a specialist at Ultimate Psychiatry today.
