Table of contents:
- Why do humans have to sleep enough?
- Getting enough sleep helps the brain manage stress and psychiatric disorders
- What happens if you don't get enough sleep?
In the midst of busy daily activities, many people underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep. If you are not very sleepy or tired, you may be putting off sleeping time. Well, unwittingly lack of sleep can interfere with your mental health. Especially if you are stressed, anxious, or have a mental illness such as depression.
To understand how getting enough sleep can be the key to successfully managing stress or mental disorders, consider the following review.
Why do humans have to sleep enough?
Humans need sleep because that's when your body repairs all kinds of damage, both physical and mental. Think of it as if your body is a car that has to take a break and enter the garage to be repaired. Without adequate repair, of course you will not be able to function normally.
Getting enough sleep helps the brain manage stress and psychiatric disorders
During sleep, humans will enter five important stages. The first stage is the work of the brain to slow down so that the body relaxes. In the second stage, you usually can't hear or respond to the sounds around you because your mind has “moved” into the subconscious.
Now, in the third and fourth stages your body will carry out various types of physical repairs. White blood cells work hard to repair damaged cells in all parts of your body. If you do not make it to these third and fourth stages, you will also be more susceptible to disease.
Then after about 90 minutes, you will enter the fifth stage, namely REM (rapid eye movement). This REM stage or deep sleep is usually accompanied by dreams, but may or may not. It is at this stage that all your mental problems are "fixed" by the brain.
Every day, the brain is flooded with various information and emotions, especially when under pressure from work or family, for example. You may not realize that you are under a lot of stress or have an anxiety disorder, for example because of making a fuss with your partner.
When you fall asleep and enter REM, this pent up anger will be channeled through dreams. If you are not dreaming anything, it means that the brain is transferring the anger that was previously held back to the subconscious. So, you no longer need to hold back negative emotions towards your partner. That way you can focus on solutions or problem solving with your partner, not on their negative emotions.
What happens if you don't get enough sleep?
The stages of sleep described above are cyclic. This means that after REM, you are back in the first stage. And so on until you wake up. So, overnight you can repeatedly enter REM. If you don't have time to go to REM or just once, your brain doesn't have time to process the emotions or mental disorders you're dealing with. As a result, the brain becomes overwhelmed with all your thoughts and emotions. This is what can trigger various problems, for example as follows.
- Difficulty concentrating
- It's hard to remember
- It's hard to make a decision
- It's hard to learn new things
With all the problems that are caused by not getting enough sleep, your brain will have more trouble fighting anxiety, stress, depression, or other mental disorders. Therefore, make sure you always get enough sleep. If you suffer from insomnia, call your doctor immediately. Insomnia can be a symptom of mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, and psychosis.
