Sleeplessness and Emotional Health: What’s The Relationship?

Sleep is vital in maintaining good physical and emotional health. Sleep deprivation can, in fact, do unhealthy things to the human body. You are blessed if you can sleep like a baby naturally, however, this is a struggle for many. According to the National Institute of Health, “More than 40 million Americans wrestle with chronic, long-term sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million report sleeping problems occasionally…”

People with poor overall emotional health, or those with emotional conditions, are more vulnerable to sleeplessness or insomnia. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), “Chronic sleep problems affect 50% to 80% of patients in a typical psychiatric practice, compared with 10% to 18% of adults in the general U.S. population.”  Traditionally, insomnia has always been considered to be a symptom of other conditions, such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, etc.

Recent studies, however, are revealing that insomnia and other sleep problems may not only be a symptom. It may also cause, increase the risk or directly contribute to the development of certain emotional conditions. This finding has clinical relevance. It underscores the value of seeking professional help and resolving sleeplessness, as it may also improve a co-occurring disorder.

The Insomnia-Mental Health Link

“The relationship between insomnia and emotional issues is bidirectional,” says Jo Abbott, from the Swinburne University of Technology. This is the essence of what the growing body of scientific information indicates.  In figures, this means that “about 50 percent of adults with insomnia have emotional health issues, while up to 90 percent of adults with depression experience sleep problems.”  The insomnia-emotional regulation difficulties link is well supported by many studies.

The study undertaken at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed that indeed sleep deprivation may significantly contribute to the onset, development and/or complication of behavioral health conditions. It was specifically observed that subjects with insomnia had dysfunctional activity in the amygdala, the brain area that is responsible for the processing and regulation of feelings.

In another study, brain scans revealed that efforts to diminish the activity can only lead to increased complications. Several other studies support that sleeplessness may impair the brain’s capacity to effectively process unpleasant emotions. A study in the United Kingdom reveals how insomnia can impair emotional regulation as it “lowered inhibition and increased impulsivity to negative stimuli.”

These findings suggest that emotion regulation, specifically processing feelings and reacting to unpleasant emotions, can be more difficult with insomnia.  These findings are proof that insomnia can cause, contribute and/or complicate psychological conditions.

Resolving Sleeplessness and Emotion Regulation

Considering the association between insomnia and mental health, it is important that you do not trivialize going without sleep. If you are having difficulty getting enough hours of sleep on a nightly basis for weeks on end it is time to seek help. Your sleep issues can be resolved, there are treatment options available. Therapy can help in the identification and modification of behaviors that may reinforce and perpetuate your sleeping challenges.

Finding the right counselor can help you to get the rest you need and deserve. You can find an experienced therapist with Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, NC. A counselor contracted with CCS can help you by utilizing effective, evidence-based approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Experts believe that these interventions yield positive results when at the core of an insomnia treatment program. Call CCS today to get started.

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