Sleep

 

Good sleep is essential for physical and mental health. While we sleep, we are healing our bodies and our minds. We go into an alternate state of consciousness where dreams come and go. Our unconscious takes us to places our waking consciousness may not anticipate. Our body rests and restores itself for the next day. It strengthens our immune system and performs tissue repair.

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Bad sleep interferes with the restorative processes that our body and minds need every night. It can break down the immune system and break down body tissue. Bad sleep interferes with our hormones and can interfere with the absorption of nutrients.

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Beyond the physical, poor sleep degrades mental health. It diminishes alertness throughout the day reducing performance in daily tasks and memory. Sustained poor sleep can lead to depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems that negatively impact our ability to function to the best of our ability.

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Some people have a life-long struggle with sleep. Often, especially for night owls, people are shamed by others for their sleep issues. For instance, if you are a late sleeper and you have school or work early in the morning, your sleep may make you late for work, shorten your sleep cycle and make you less effective to learn or do work related tasks. Teachers and bosses give consequences for lateness, missed assignments, and lack of attention to detail. This is a morning lark’s world. How do those who are biologically programmed to work better later in the day cope with this reality and thrive?

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Therapy can help those who struggle with sleep to discover underlying issues that may be interfering with sleep. Also, it can help those who have biological programming that advances, delays, or shifts the sleep cycle around the clock to come to an acceptance which can blossom into new ways of learning to thrive while living with this biological programming.

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I can help with the emotional and psychological impact of sleep issues on your mental health. Call me to find out how therapy can help you manage sleep issues and improve your mental health.