Is Your Brain Getting Enough Sleep?

Getting enough sleep is important because it helps your body and mind to recover from the day’s activities. When you’re well-rested, you’re able to think more clearly, make better decisions, and be more productive. Sleep helps to boost mental wellbeing by improving mood and memory function. A good night’s sleep can improve mood and concentration, reduce stress, and increase energy levels.

The 4 major reasons we need sleep are:

To restore and rejuvenate our bodies
To improve our moods
To increase our productivity
To protect our mental health

Poor sleeping habits are the most common cause of insufficient sleep, but there may also be underlying medical conditions that a specialist, like a psychiatrist can diagnose and treat.

There is a direct connection between sleep and brain health. Sleep is important for the brain because it allows the brain to rest and recharge. During sleep, the brain processes information from the day and consolidates memories. Additionally, sleep is necessary for healthy brain function and plays a role in mood regulation.

A deep dive on the science of sleep and the brain

As we prepare for bed, clusters of sleep-promoting neurons in many parts of the brain become more active. This happens because the body releases chemicals called neurotransmitters that activate these cells. These sleep-promoting cells help to quiet down other parts of the brain so we can get a good night’s sleep.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that send signals between nerve cells, and they play a major role in regulating mood, cognition, and behavior. When we don’t get enough sleep, it can cause these neurotransmitters to become unbalanced, which can lead to issues with your brain and mental health. They are the conduit, or chemical facilitators, for sleep and play an important role in communication between the brain and other parts of the body. Therefore, it is possible that your body is ready for sleep, but your brain hasn’t gotten the message yet because of a disruption in that conduit system.

Genes are responsible for the efficient (or not) production of neurotransmitters in your body, which are essential for the proper functioning of the brain. Therefore, some people are more susceptible to developing certain disorders due to an imbalance of these key brain chemical levels – including insomnia, anxiety, or depression.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation, sleep, appetite, and pain sensation. It impacts all of these things because it helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm. This rhythm controls when we feel awake or sleepy and also how hungry or full we feel. GABA is another neurotransmitter that is associated with sleep, muscle relaxation, and sedation. When levels of GABA are low, insomnia can result. There are other neurotransmitters that play a role in sleep and wakefulness. Acetylcholine, histamine, adrenaline, cortisol, and serotonin all help to shape how we sleep and how alert we are.

Conversely, sleep deprivation can lead to an imbalance in these neurotransmitters, creating a “snowball effect” for individuals who already have an imbalance due to their genetic makeup.

How much sleep do you need?

There is no one answer to how much sleep each individual needs, as it depends on a person’s individual health and daily activities. The Sleep Foundation provides a range of hours for each age group, with the recommendations acknowledging that there may be some wiggle room on either side of the range for “acceptable” amount of sleep.

Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep on a regular schedule each night.
Kids need even more sleep than adults and teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night.
School-aged children need 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night and preschoolers need to sleep between 10 and 13 hours a day (including naps).

Getting enough sleep isn’t only about total hours of sleep; it’s also important to get good quality sleep on a regular schedule so you feel rested when you wake up. Insomnia can include trouble falling asleep, getting up multiple times during the night, or waking up too early and being unable to fall back asleep.

How do you know if you are not getting enough sleep?

There are several key signs that you are not getting enough sleep: feeling tired during the day despite getting enough rest; having trouble concentrating; experiencing mood swings; being irritable; experiencing physical symptoms (such as headaches, dizziness, or flu symptoms). If you are experiencing any of these signs and you think you may be sleep deprived, call our offices to schedule a diagnostic consultation and get the bottom of why you struggle with sleep!

Author Angelo Sambunaris, M.D.

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Halloween

The fall brings many of our favorite things: piles of brightly colored leaves, apple cider with donuts, and cooler temperatures that allow us to turn off our air conditioners finally! But for many, the spooky season of Halloween time only highlights the nightmares that interfere with sleep and quality of life. Today we examine the relationship between anxiety and the nighttime disturbances of nightmares and night sweats.

Nightmares and anxiety

If you have frequent nightmares, you have parasomnia — a type of sleep disorder that includes unwanted disturbances while you’re falling asleep, during sleep or when you’re waking up. Nightmares and bad dreams are overlapping and common forms of parasomnia. Nightmares can be thought of as “vivid, disturbing, or frightening dreams that cause a startled awakening (Levin & Nielsen, 2007)”, and bad dreams are “very disturbing dreams which, though being unpleasant, do not cause the dreamer to awaken” (Robert & Zadra, 2008).

An anxiety dream falls under this umbrella as well; it is any dream that causes stress or distress. You might feel panicked or nervous during the dream, but often these feelings continue even when you wake up or worse, linger on during your day.

Although nightmares often inspire feelings of terror more intense than general anxiety, these also count as anxiety dreams, since anxiety during the day can make nightmares more likely. Nightmares can be triggered by many factors outside of anxiety including trauma (such as an accident or other events), irregular sleep cycles/schedule, some medications, substance abuse and/or withdrawal, and other medical conditions such as depression, heart disease or cancer.

However, the primary cause of nightmares is stress or anxiety. Sometimes, the ordinary stresses of daily life, such as a conflict at work or school can trigger a nightmare. A major life change, such as a move or the death of a loved one, can have the same effect. Experiencing anxiety is associated with a greater risk of nightmares.

How does anxiety trigger nightmares?

As you might already know, your brain remains active while you sleep. The brain uses this time to carry out critical functions required to refresh your body and optimize your brain function during your waking hours. Part of this process that happens when you sleep includes encoding experiences and sensations into memory and organizing all that data, much like a filing system.

It follows, then, that if your recent thoughts and feelings cause stress and fear, your dreams will likely follow a similar pattern. Not everyone living with anxiety will have bad dreams, but research does suggest anxiety can play a significant part in nighttime distress.

In a 2014 study, those who met criteria for generalized anxiety disorder had more bad dreams than participants who didn’t have anxiety. Bad dream frequency was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, worry, and poor quality of life. The study also showed that bad dreams led to greater daytime feelings of anxiety and depression and lower quality of life. In short, anxiety, and nightmares can feed into each other, creating an unpleasant cycle.

Night sweats and anxiety

Night sweats are something you probably recognize if you are experiencing them, but clinically it is defined as being flushed, very hot, and sweating for no apparent reason. This can happen when trying to rest, go to sleep, or when waking up, even though the room temperature is normal or cool. There may be a medical reason for your night sweats your body fighting off a virus or bacteria. What’s more, night sweats can be caused by perimenopause, menopause, the aftereffects of menopause, or by other hormonal problems. Night sweats can come and go infrequently, occur on a regular basis, or go on every night for what seems to be indefinitely.

Anxiety night sweats may precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety sensations and symptoms (things like nervousness, anxiety, fear, and elevated stress) or occur with no obvious trigger. It can also come in waves, where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next.

Why does anxiety cause night sweats?

In short, an over-active mind causes the physical symptoms associated with night sweats. Your stress response in your head causes a physical response in your body including changing your body’s metabolism, respiration, and perspiration. This response is why the heart beats harder and faster, breathing becomes shorter and shallower, and we sweat.

Experiencing night sweats is a common consequence of a stressed or anxious mind, and an indication of how the body can mismanage itself based on our mental state. When the nervous system is healthy, it manages these systems and functions normally and invisibly for the most part. But when the nervous system becomes hyper-stimulated on a regular basis, the body is more apt to move from “thinking to feeling” in a shorter time span – a type of muscle memory if you will. Nightmares and the stress responses they trigger can also be a cause, or part of the circle of night sweats.

What to do if you are experiencing nightmares or night sweats on a regular basis

It’s always wise to seek support if your symptoms begin affecting your work, relationships, or overall quality of life. The best way to combat the negative effects of anxiety is to prevent them in the first place! Dr. Sambunaris suggests changing your sleep habits first:

Create an atmosphere that is conducive to great sleep. Build in time to wind down that includes taking a warm shower, banning screen time and devices, and/or reading a book. Keep the lights low, the temperature cool, and sounds to a minimum.
Once you’re in bed, let your mind wander to positive thoughts like going to your own “happy place,” positive things about your day, or expressing gratitude for the people in your life.
Make time for exercise during the day – studies have shown that even just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity during your day may help you sleep better.
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants during the day (or at least after lunch) to give your brain the best chance of relaxing at night.

If you have tried all of these suggestions, and you still find that your sleep disturbances are affecting your quality of life, it’s time to talk to a physician like Dr. Sambunaris who specializes in anxiety disorders. Recurrent or long-lasting stress and anxiety could be a sign of a more serious mental health issue that will not go away on its own. Make an appointment to get a clear diagnosis of what is keeping you up at night by calling 770-817-9200.

Sources: https://mayocl.in/3SUZcvI https://bit.ly/3ejLLGH https://bit.ly/3RStBtc

Author Angelo Sambunaris, M.D.

Meridian, ID

Is Your Brain Getting Enough Sleep?

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