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Kinga Cichewicz
Wellness > Mental Health

Importance of Sleep and its implications on Mental Health

Ariyana Kermanizadeh
UCSD Contributor
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSD chapter.

Sleep is crucial for promoting good health and sustainability in the body. Yet why is it that most people are willing to sacrifice their sleep for everything else in their life? According to the University Health Center of Georgia, Americans are sleeping less with college students averaging 6 hours of sleep per night. These decaying sleep rates are understandable, given the immense pressure students face for school and other extracurricular activities that involve a lot of nurturing. 

Further, insufficient sleep is a large dilemma in America, that even the CDC has declared it an epidemic.  According to the NCC for Chronic Disease Prevention and Help)This is problematic because 50-70 million Americans suffer from serious sleep-related issues, and can be associated with type II diabetes, heart disease and even obesity. While some choose to sacrifice their sleep time, while others are simply unable to control it. These sleep related problems can stem from other complications, or even mental health issues like depression, anxiety and PTSD. 

As a result, scientists and researchers are examining the effects of treating sleep prior to treating mental health issues. For example, insomnia is a common side effect for patients with PTSD. Moreover, researchers explain that although sleep patterns improve over the span of PTSD treatment, 80% of patients will continue to report insomniac symptoms post PTSD treatment (Colvonen, Straus, Stepnowsky, McCarthy, Goldstein, & Norman, 2018). This is largely  problematic because insomnia can actually digress PTSD treatment (Colvonen, Angkaw, Drummond, Norman, 2019). Along with this, other evidence suggests that treating sleep prior to treating PTSD, might increase the overall treatment effect (Colvonen, 2019). Through this, we can understand how important sleep is for the overall progression of treatment in mental health. 

For those who can control their sleep patterns, I urge you to prioritize your sleep for the betterment of your health. This can be done by engaging in a habitual sleep schedule, and being mindful of it. For those who cannot control their lack of sleep, and who may struggle with insomnia, sleep apnea or other sleep related problems, I implore you to look for resources that can help. The SleepFoundation.org is an excellent resource for tips and tricks and for more serious related sleep issues, sleep clinics can be beneficial. UC San Diego health, has a sleep center, and you can also find different centers based on your area.

 

Citations

Colvonen, P. J., Straus, L. D., Stepnowsky, C., McCarthy, M. J., Goldstein, L. A., & Norman, S. B. (2018). Recent advancements in treating sleep disorders in co-occurring PTSD. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20, 48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0916-9 

Peter J. Colvonen, A. C., Abigail C. Angkaw, Sean P. A. Drummond, Sonya B. Norman  (2019). Piloting Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Integrate With Prolonged Exposure. American Psychological Association

 

 

 

 

Ariyana Kermanizadeh is a Northern California native, and is currently pursuing her undergraduate career at UC San Diego. At UCSD, she studies Psychology with an emphasis in Human Health as well as Biology. Ariyana hopes to attend Medical School in the near future, to chase her dream of becoming a Physician. As an aspiring Physician she hopes her future will consist of assisting underserved communities and fighting for health care rights. Follow Ari on Instagram (Ariyana_k).
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