Sleep is a complex involuntary process during which the brain recovers and regenerates. It results in the strengthening of memory therefore enabling learning, creativity as well as effective functioning during the daytime.
In humans, the amount of sleep one needs depends on their age. Newborns need 16-18 hours of sleep in a day but the number of hours needed decrease as the person grows older. Adults tend to sleep roughly for 7-8 hours a day, while older adults tend to sleep even fewer hours, on average 6-7 hours, although taking frequent naps throughout the day.
Individuals vary on how much sleep they need ranging from 5 to 11 hours. It is therefore important that each person gauges the amount one needs to ensure that they get the right amount. No set amount of sleep is appropriate for everybody.
Stages of Sleep
A person cycles through two broad phases in sleep: non-REM sleep and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep consists of 4 stages through which the person increasingly falls deeper into sleep and therefore awakes less easily. Deep sleep has been found to be refreshing and important in helping the brain consolidate what it has learned, it is also during deep sleep that the human being undergoes physiological changes that help boost immune system functioning. The average adult spends 75-80% of their total sleep time in non-REM sleep.
As we continue sleeping, we progress into the second broad phase of sleep, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. It is in this phase that the person dreams. As the name suggests, researchers of sleep observed that there is fast movement of the eyes while they are closed. During this phase also, the voluntary muscles of the body (hands, legs, head etc.) get temporarily paralyzed. We experience on average, 3-5 episodes of REM sleep per night.
Sleep Disorders
Good sleep is not only based on the time spent asleep but also, and more importantly, on the quality of sleep that one gets. Do you feel refreshed or groggy when you wake up?
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It is characterized by an inability to fall asleep or remain asleep over a period of at least 3 nights a week. Understandably, it results in the person feeling tired, irritable, having poor memory and a weaker immune system. During the period of time that the person is struggling to find sleep, they experience a racing mind and getting concerns about the lack of sleep. The person is also likely to engage in patterns of thoughts that are negative.
Oversleeping is another sleep disorder that occurs in two forms. Hypersomnia is when the person, after having at least 7 hours of sleep, does not feel fully awake until several hours after getting up. Narcolepsy is characterized by sudden sleep attacks at inappropriate times sometimes leaving the person paralyzed for a short time.
Other problems that people experience during sleep include sleep apnea that happens during REM sleep where the person stops breathing for up to a minute and usually resumes normal breathing with a loud snort or choking sound to unlock the airway and therefore disrupting sleep; Nightmares which are frightening dreams that wake the sleeper in panic usually occurring in early morning; Night terrors that are characterized by a deep sense of fear and panic during sleep that makes the person sweat and sometimes scream; Sleep walking which interestingly, occurs in the deep non-REM sleep and not during dreaming; Snoring, that can cause problems with sleep quality for the partners of snorers and is common in men and post-menopausal women and also associated with being heavyweight; other times, people experience disorganization in their sleeping times due to working in the night shifts or travelling to different time zones.
Sleep and Mental Health
Having enough and quality sleep is believed to increase the individual’s emotional and mental resilience to deal with challenges and difficulties in life as it impacts the mood, energy and concentration ability. Due to this, long-term sleep disruptions make the person more prone to negative thinking, depression, anxiety, in addition to poor relationships and the ability to complete simple tasks at school or work.
Sleep problems are especially common in patients with anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar and ADHD. On the other hand sleep disorders raise the risk for the development or relapse of mental health problems. For example, insomnia and other sleep problems worsen before an episode of mania or bipolar depression. Insomnia also can worsen the symptoms of anxiety disorders or prevent recovery. Oversleeping, on the other hand, happens in 15-40% of patients who suffer from depression. People who have experienced trauma also, frequently, experience distressing nightmares as a consequence of the trauma.
With this understanding of the nature of sleep, the disorders as well as the impact of sleep in mental health, it is necessary to assess our sleeping habits in terms of amount of sleep time an individual needs, the feelings and behavior that bring about poor sleep and its consequences in our mental health being.
Questions, comments on your own experience with sleep and even additional information are welcome in the discussion below.
Activity: During this week, let us keenly observe our sleeping habits in preparation for the sleep management topic next week.
In humans, the amount of sleep one needs depends on their age. Newborns need 16-18 hours of sleep in a day but the number of hours needed decrease as the person grows older. Adults tend to sleep roughly for 7-8 hours a day, while older adults tend to sleep even fewer hours, on average 6-7 hours, although taking frequent naps throughout the day.
Individuals vary on how much sleep they need ranging from 5 to 11 hours. It is therefore important that each person gauges the amount one needs to ensure that they get the right amount. No set amount of sleep is appropriate for everybody.
Stages of Sleep
A person cycles through two broad phases in sleep: non-REM sleep and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep consists of 4 stages through which the person increasingly falls deeper into sleep and therefore awakes less easily. Deep sleep has been found to be refreshing and important in helping the brain consolidate what it has learned, it is also during deep sleep that the human being undergoes physiological changes that help boost immune system functioning. The average adult spends 75-80% of their total sleep time in non-REM sleep.
As we continue sleeping, we progress into the second broad phase of sleep, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. It is in this phase that the person dreams. As the name suggests, researchers of sleep observed that there is fast movement of the eyes while they are closed. During this phase also, the voluntary muscles of the body (hands, legs, head etc.) get temporarily paralyzed. We experience on average, 3-5 episodes of REM sleep per night.
Sleep Disorders
Good sleep is not only based on the time spent asleep but also, and more importantly, on the quality of sleep that one gets. Do you feel refreshed or groggy when you wake up?
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It is characterized by an inability to fall asleep or remain asleep over a period of at least 3 nights a week. Understandably, it results in the person feeling tired, irritable, having poor memory and a weaker immune system. During the period of time that the person is struggling to find sleep, they experience a racing mind and getting concerns about the lack of sleep. The person is also likely to engage in patterns of thoughts that are negative.
Oversleeping is another sleep disorder that occurs in two forms. Hypersomnia is when the person, after having at least 7 hours of sleep, does not feel fully awake until several hours after getting up. Narcolepsy is characterized by sudden sleep attacks at inappropriate times sometimes leaving the person paralyzed for a short time.
Other problems that people experience during sleep include sleep apnea that happens during REM sleep where the person stops breathing for up to a minute and usually resumes normal breathing with a loud snort or choking sound to unlock the airway and therefore disrupting sleep; Nightmares which are frightening dreams that wake the sleeper in panic usually occurring in early morning; Night terrors that are characterized by a deep sense of fear and panic during sleep that makes the person sweat and sometimes scream; Sleep walking which interestingly, occurs in the deep non-REM sleep and not during dreaming; Snoring, that can cause problems with sleep quality for the partners of snorers and is common in men and post-menopausal women and also associated with being heavyweight; other times, people experience disorganization in their sleeping times due to working in the night shifts or travelling to different time zones.
Sleep and Mental Health
Having enough and quality sleep is believed to increase the individual’s emotional and mental resilience to deal with challenges and difficulties in life as it impacts the mood, energy and concentration ability. Due to this, long-term sleep disruptions make the person more prone to negative thinking, depression, anxiety, in addition to poor relationships and the ability to complete simple tasks at school or work.
Sleep problems are especially common in patients with anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar and ADHD. On the other hand sleep disorders raise the risk for the development or relapse of mental health problems. For example, insomnia and other sleep problems worsen before an episode of mania or bipolar depression. Insomnia also can worsen the symptoms of anxiety disorders or prevent recovery. Oversleeping, on the other hand, happens in 15-40% of patients who suffer from depression. People who have experienced trauma also, frequently, experience distressing nightmares as a consequence of the trauma.
With this understanding of the nature of sleep, the disorders as well as the impact of sleep in mental health, it is necessary to assess our sleeping habits in terms of amount of sleep time an individual needs, the feelings and behavior that bring about poor sleep and its consequences in our mental health being.
Questions, comments on your own experience with sleep and even additional information are welcome in the discussion below.
Activity: During this week, let us keenly observe our sleeping habits in preparation for the sleep management topic next week.
