While we all know sleep is vital for our mental wellbeing, few of us know how important it is. According to the Sleep foundation’s statistics on sleep, a person experiences four to six sleep cycles in an average sleep period. This is considered quality sleep, devoid of disruptions or any sleep disorders.

Unfortunately, not all of us get the rest we need due to the common factors related to sleep disorders. In addition, medical conditions and mental health problems such as anxiety disorder also cause sleeping difficulties in people of all ages.

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Sleep Quality and Mental Health

Essentially, getting enough sleep is an excellent mental health practice that helps the brain process emotional information. Lack of it leads to the opposite, meaning your brain won't be able to process positive emotional content as required. This is detrimental, especially to your overall mental health, given that your brain's emotional activity becomes adversely affected.

To most people, irregular sleep patterns and poor sleep quality are the top signs of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. According to startsleeping.org, 75 percent of patients with depression have insomnia, a condition related to poor sleep quality. The statistics also estimate that 24 to 36 percent of people with insomnia have an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety Disorder and Poor Sleeping Patterns

Anxiety disorder is the diagnosis of your brain's reaction to stress. A prolonged state of anxiety keeps the nervous system alert, making you restless and unable to get quality sleep. This results in insomnia, which is one of the first and common signs of anxiety disorder. Besides insomnia, other sleeping problems encountered by people suffering from anxiety include;

• Hypersomnia

• Nightmares

• Panic attacks while sleeping

• Sleep paralysis

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For ages now, anxiety disorder has been frequently connected to sleeping problems. Experts warn that excess worry and restlessness affect one's sleep quality, making it quite challenging to enjoy long nights of sleep. When this condition worsens, it aggravates lengthy bouts of insomnia and varying cycles of anxiety disorders.

Like many other mental health disorders, the effects of sleep and anxiety go in both directions. If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, you'll experience higher tendencies of sleep disturbances. On the other hand, more prolonged spells of sleep deprivation can also result in symptoms of anxiety. In the end, there’s an eternal cycle that strongly links the two.

Mental hyperarousal, a common symptom of anxiety, is considered one of the critical factors behind insomnia tendencies. This means that if you're suffering from anxiety, there's a high chance of experiencing higher sleep reactivity.

Some of these sleeping difficulties are common in anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. Even so, studies reveal that people with PTSD experience higher symptoms of insomnia than those suffering from any other type of anxiety disorder.

Effects of Poor Sleep Quality on Your Mental Health

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Poor sleep quality is often linked to the development of anxiety and major depressive disorders. The risks of worsening existing anxiety disorder and increasing the severity of insomnia are arguably some widely seen effects.

However, poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation negatively affect your overall mental health and emotional wellbeing in many ways. It can lead to psychological ill-health problems like

• Causing continued tendencies of low mood

• Higher levels of impatience

• Irritability and lack of focus

• Tendencies of erratic behavior

• Psychotic episodes

• Paranoia

How to Improve Sleep Quality and Manage Anxiety

Poor sleep quality and anxiety always operate in a vicious cycle. Most people experiencing anxiety disorder often have trouble getting quality sleep. The ensuing sleep deprivation leads to even more exacerbated symptoms of anxiety. To manage these two conditions, you can consider the following tips.

Focus on Making Your Body Physically Active

Physical body activity and exercises alleviate both anxiety disorder and improve your sleep. This is often effective if it's done some hours before sleep instead of exercising right before sleep. Exercises will help you treat insomnia and reduce the symptoms of anxiety, such as restlessness.

Limit Alcohol and Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine and alcohol intake are all linked to increased anxiety symptoms and insomnia. For instance, taking alcohol right before heading to bed causes a spike in your heart rate, causing you to stay up for longer hours. Water can be a perfect substitute for alcohol and caffeine as it will keep you hydrated and comfortable all night.

Try Mind Relaxation Techniques

Mind relaxation is one way of keeping your mental health in check and improving your sleep patterns. Body and mind exercises such as meditation and yoga can help you achieve the proper mind relaxation and further trigger a relaxation response at night.

Final Word

While sleep is a known anxiety disorder treatment, it can also aggravate the symptoms of this condition if you face difficulties getting quality sleep. Therefore, when you experience any such condition, the best solution is always to seek help from an expert for proper diagnosis and the right support.

Helpful link

EZ Care Clinic