Less Sleep = More Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common yet stigmatized health problems today. So many people deal with anxiety and so many people feel ashamed of it. What if I told you that, getting a sufficient amount of sleep could greatly reduce anxiety. A full, good night of sleep is something that should be so easy to get, yet so many people struggle to have it. 

    A study recently went out stating that sleep is one of the most helpful, natural anxiety relievers. Getting sleep to help anxiety is commonly overlooked though. In this study, 18 people watched scary, unsettling videos after a full night of sleep and after an insufficient night of sleep. After, the participants filled out surveys and scientists used MRI machines to study an area of the brain, the medial prefrontal cortex, which reduces anxiety and stress. The MRI revealed that “the medial prefrontal cortex was deactivated after a sleepless night.” It also revealed that “A sleepless night raised anxiety levels by up to 30%.”(CLICK HERE to learn more). In other words, the brain reacted completely different to anxiety and stress-causing situations depending on the amount of sleep a participant had. The study found that anxiety levels dropped tremendously when participants had a full night of sleep. Finally, the study suggests that getting high-quality sleep should be the first recommendation in treating clinical anxiety. Sleep truly is necessary to restore the brain and help us function throughout the day; it’s not just a suggestion. It really is crazy what a good night of sleep can do for your body, mentally and physically.

    The connection between sleep and mental health is a big one. If only it were easier to just simply get more sleep. Unfortunately, some of the people with the most anxiety are the busiest and the ones that struggle the most getting sleep. Drawing attention to the connection between sleep and anxiety reduction is a great place to start. The more people realize the connection, the more getting a good amount of sleep will be pushed. Would you discuss the connection between sleep and less anxiety with a teacher, principal, or anyone with power at school to help others and yourself? Is lack of sleep being overlooked as a connection to high amounts of anxiety, especially in students? Do you see sleep as a necessity to help your body or just something you do? What do you see happening in the future relating to the amount of sleep people get? Should schools and place of work look at the amount of work they assign and the amount of sleep their students and employees get? Do all of us need to take a more in-depth look at our amount of sleep?