How Does Sleep Improve Mental Health?
As HealthSocialClub did research on “how does sleep improves mental health?”, we came across some outstanding knowledge. The brain is the primary source of mental health and sleep occurs when the brain is unconscious, so we searched for the purpose of sleepiness. Circadian rhythm is what we came across when searching “what causes humans to get sleepy”.
Accordant to Dr.Universe, the circadian rhythm is the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that informs the brain when to sleep and when to wake up. Hormones signal a nucleus in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which receives signals from the human eyes. So when sleeping and the eyes detect light, the brain is informed that it’s time to wake up.
With this information and understanding that the brain is a source of the mind, sleep has to be a priority when improving mental health. Why? Cause sleep is what allows the brain to restore its energy so it can continue to operate other parts of the body. If a person’s energy not restored, mixed emotions will travel throughout the human body.
A human energy level determines the amount of sleep the body gets at night. Ever woke up in the morning and your body still feels tired and drowsy? It’s cause the body didn’t reach all four stages of sleep the night before.
Sleep Cycle Stages:
Stage 1:
Stage one of the sleep cycle stage is the “light” stage of sleep. This when the body muscles and nerves are starting to relax. In this stage of sleep, brain waves are starting to slow down at a rapid pace but still active at the same time. Humans tend to wake up easily during this phase because the brain is still conscious.
Stage 2:
Stage two of the sleep cycle occurs when other organs of the body start to relax. The human heart rate began to decrease, blood is pumping through the body at a slower rate, and the body temperature starts to drop. This stage of the sleep cycle is the stage people reach when taking naps during the day because even though this stage restores body energy, brain waves are still active and alert.
Stage 3:
Stage three of the sleep cycle is considered “deep sleep” of the night. During this stage of sleep the body muscles are fully relaxed, heart rate reaches the lowest level possible, and brain waves transition to an identifiable pattern. It’s more difficult to wake a human up during stage three because the brain is in a memory consideration mode that causes the human to dream.
Stage 4:
Ever hear people say, “I had some good sleep last night”? Well, it’s usually because they reached stage 4 in their sleep cycle that night. During stage four sleep cycle the brain is unconscious, body muscles are “paralyzed” from no nerve signals sent from the brain, and heart rate rises since it has a lack of support.
This phase in the sleep cycle is known as rapid eye movement (REM) because the eyes rapidly move under the eyelids. The first three stages are known as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) because the eyes rest in place. Accordant to SleepFoundation, “the duration of the REM stage decreases as you age, causing you to spend more time in the NREM stage.”
Depending on the sleep cycle a human reaches each night can determine the level of their mental health. Only allowing the brain to rest during stages one and two then waking up will affect a human’s mood. Interrupting the brain from restoring energy triggers the body’s emotions. An emotion that affects how a human thinks, which is irritation. Want to obtain a leveled mental health, it’s best to focus on reaching the 3rd and last phase of the sleep cycle each night.
How To Sleep Longer?
People that don’t sleep till the last two stages of the sleep cycle usually suffer from insomnia. Insomnia is a disorder that causes people to frequently wake up in the middle of the night. Mental health issues can be the purpose of insomnia, like stressing but luckily insomnia is self-diagnosable. Which means, this disease can be identified without medical assistance. Not only can it be identified, but it’s also self curable. Here are a few ways to cure insomnia down below.
Staying active during the day is a common treatment for insomnia. Taking the time out of the day to do an exercise or play a sport relaxes the body muscles. Once the muscles are relaxed, the brain is notified by nerve signals that it needs rest.
Drinking no alcohol before bed can make humans stay sleep throughout the night. For people that may not know, alcohol dehydrates the body. So when drinking alcohol before bed it’s a high possibility that a human will wake up in the middle of the night to quench their thirst.
Cancel naps doing the day is also curable for insomnia disorders. Sleeping during the day limits the time of sleeping at night because the body still filled with restored energy from the daytime. Naps either cause a human to wake up earlier than usual or make it difficult for humans to fall asleep at night.
A human sleeping condition impacts insomnia as well. If the bed a human sleeps in is uncomfortable it will be hard to get a good night’s sleep. Like a bed with no pillows or small pillows can result in body aches for most humans. Body ache such as a crook in the neck or spinal pain.
Even a human sleeping environment counts when aiming for a good night’s sleep. The temperature of the room can be too hot or too cold for the body’s nerves. It’s impossible for the brain to stay asleep when the body’s nerves are being irritated by the environment temperature.
Another way to stay sleep throughout the night is adjusting your sleep posture. Some people like to sleep on their stomach, back, or side. Find which posture is best for you and apply the same posture each night. Over time, the body will get more comfortable sleeping in that certain position and prevent from waking up so easily.
Last but not least, sleep medication is a popular treatment for insomnia. This method more convenient for most humans because it doesn’t require too much time out of their day. Consuming sleep medicine usually takes two minutes and depending on the type of medicine, it’s a guarantee that the medicine will help them sleep throughout the night.
HealthSocialClub suggests all humans apply every last one of these tips to prevent insomnia. Except for the last tip, since all humans react differently from medication, it’s best to ask a doctor for clarification. Battling with insomnia affects humans’ mental health in many ways. From physical body pain to emotional pain. The brain is what operates the body, so not getting the right amount of sleep every night is bad for a human’s thinking process. If improving mental health is a priority for you, it’s best to start by increasing the amount of rest the brain receives at night.