Posts published on April 4, 2019

Facts Students Must Know About Sleep and Mental Health

BY LINDA ANDERSON

Over the recent years there has been a rise of mental health problems in college and school kids. With the growing academic pressure, hectic life, intrusive technology etc. kids are getting less and less sleep which a huge factor in is affecting mental health. In order to ensure a good night’s sleep, it is important to cut down on caffeine and junk food, reduce the use of technology, and maintain a proper schedule. Your bed also plays a major role in contributing to sleep. Before you buy a mattress, click here to read all Sleep Junkie reviews and make an educated choice. Keep all your clutter off the bed and change your sheets at least every week. Lack of adequate sleep can have deep rooted effects on your mental health and cause several diseases.

Why do we need adequate sleep?

While human babies need up to sixteen hours of sleep which is essential for their growth and the healthy development of the baby, adult humans need at least six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. Our body heals itself and the cells repair and regenerate when a person is sleeping. Thus, when a person doesn’t get enough sleep, the cells do not get the necessary time to repair, leading to a slowing down of the healing process, leaving one tired. But what we do not realized that sleep does the same thing for our brain as well. While the brain does not shut off the processes during sleep, it definitely gets its necessary rest and the tissues are healed. This is especially essential for younger people as their brain is usually under a lot of stress and functions more than a regular adult person’s owing to hectic school and academic needs. Scientists believe that sleep flushes out the toxins which is why sleep deprivation leaves us tired, disoriented and unable to function mentally. Regular sleep deprivation doesn’t give the brain cell enough time to relax, repair and regenerate, and thereby, lead to several mental health problems, or aggravate the existing ones. In the long run it can be even fatal.

Sleep deprivation and mental exhaustion

Lack of a good night’s sleep can lead to general exhaustion as the brain doesn’t get its necessary rest which is manifested in a feeling of being constantly tired and sleepy. This can be aggravated when it becomes a regular feature, leading to disorientation, causing one to zone out from conversations, inability to participate in classes, shorter attention span and irritability. This leads to the student lagging in school, be it academic or social life. It also affects the ability to make good judgments and take necessary decisions. It impairs their logical and problem-solving skills immensely, which is severely detrimental to academic success.

Aggravated mental health disorders

Lack of adequate sleep plays a major role in aggravating and sometimes even causing, several mental health disorders, especially in kids. Sleep deprivation messes up the chemical balance in the brain and thus diseases like depression, mania, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder etc. are severely impacted.

Lack of sleep can be an indication of several serious health issues and thus it is important to seek professional help.

By line for Linda Anderson

I’m a writer and musician residing in Boise, ID in the United States, although I spent a small amount of time (about three years) living in the UK growing up, due to my father’s occupation. I graduated from the College of Idaho with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a focus in marketing in 2014.