Lack of sleep and anxiety share an important link, according to recent studies, we are not only talking about insomnia itself, but also about sleeping less every day, suffering a constant awakening, getting up with the feeling of not resting, if we live it. condition, our health will be affected.
Neuroscience advances by providing interesting and valuable information; Recently, for example, it has been shown how naps of less than half an hour help the brain improve short- and long-term memory; We also know that sleep is critical to eliminating toxins and other types of neural tissue “wastes. “
- The human being.
- Like most animals.
- Needs to sleep.
- Not sleeping adequately compromises health and well-being.
- Which is why several experiments on sleep deprivation have shown the great risks involved.
- It has even been seen that sleeping less than six hours increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases.
Sophocles said that sleep is the only cure for almost everything, and he certainly was not wrong in such reasoning, sometimes in our lifestyle we completely neglect its importance, sleeping at least 7 or 8 hours will make us gain physical health and above all psychological.
“Sleep is not a small art: to master it you have to stay awake all day.
The relationship between lack of sleep and sleep has been the source of many studies in recent years. For example, at the society for neuroscience’s annual conference in San Diego, California, the topic was presented to a community of experts. in the field, Dr. Clifford Saper, a member of the Sleep Research Society, explained:
Imagine spending two to three months sleeping an average of five hours a day, we are often tired, but we can do our homework and obligations normally, even saying that when a certain age arrives the body changes and there is less need to sleep.
We may be convinced of that, but our brains do not agree with these reasonings; The truth is that we can’t have a restful sleep, we don’t always complete all REM sleep cycles, which means we don’t complete these processes that are so important to the health of our brain.
As we can see, the relationship between lack of sleep and anxiety can be a true vicious cycle. We sleep less and feel more anxious. In turn, anxiety itself intensifies the onset of sleep disturbances. So, as if that wasn’t enough, studies like the one conducted at the University of Adelaide, Australia, show something else.
Sleep problems not only increase your risk of anxiety, but also pose a risk factor for depression. Eti Ben-Simon, Ph. D. , Center for Human Dream Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, points to something positive about it.
There are very effective sleep therapies, in fact, as soon as a patient manages to improve their night rest, psychological well-being improves in a few weeks, so do improvements in cognitive processes and mood improve significantly.
Sleep hygiene experts recommend two strategies: on the one hand, improving our sleep habits, and on the other hand, it is essential to acquire the right skills to better manage stress and anxiety.
In conclusion, knowing that there is a clear relationship between lack of sleep and anxiety (including depression), it is worth taking a little more care of our lifestyle. After all, even if no one dies overnight from sleep, lack of sleep is slowly taking over our lives, damaging our health without us nodding.
“He who sleeps heavy doesn’t feel how much he sleeps. ” Seneca?