Nichole K. Salinas, MA, LAC, is a licensed associate counselor dedicated to providing holistic, compassionate care for clients from all walks of... read more
The Struggle of Waking Up Tired
It is 6 A.M., and the persistent beeping of your alarm is piercing your eardrum, with the unwelcome announcement that morning is upon us. Your body begins to adjust to the idea of opening your eyes and rolling your body out of your warm bed. As you reluctantly stand, stretch your arms over your head, and muster up the energy to begin the day, you look down at your bed longingly, with a solemn thought: “We never have enough time.”
And while your body is now in motion, moving through the house on autopilot—making coffee, grabbing clothes for the day, brushing your teeth—your mind is still catching up. Thinking feels like a chore. Your eyes squint at the tiny calendar on your phone, reviewing all the meetings you have coming up for the day; it all feels overwhelming already.
The Impact of Poor Sleep on Your Day
Fast forward an hour, and you have arrived at your destination. As you begin to interact with others, you realize that you may not be ready to “people” this morning. Susie’s energy is off the charts, and it feels like she’s cornering you with all her questions. She’s excited to work on the project together, but you just want more time to sleep.
Your brief responses are not well-thought-out and may not be very helpful. But you just want to escape this interaction. You find yourself feeling more irritable than usual. Susie’s not doing anything wrong. Why is she bothering you so much?
Recognizing the Signs of Sleep Deprivation
Let’s take a pause and review what you are experiencing right now:
- Lethargy—Your body feels like it’s moving through molasses; your legs are heavy like cement.
- Cognition—Thinking is so hard today; it’s like you are viewing everything through a thick fog.
- Emotions—You are finding it extremely difficult not to snap at Susie; you just want to be left alone.
As you take a moment to reflect on your experiences above, you notice a pattern. You have felt this before. In fact, your maladaptive experiences are all too familiar. Your sleep pattern has been disrupted over the past few months, and poor sleep is taking a toll on you in many ways.
Why Healthy Sleep Patterns Matter
Now we’re going to fast forward to the part where we already discovered that your anxiety is the culprit, and you are seeking support through counseling to understand where that anxiety is coming from while finding strategies to reduce it.
But let’s return to your sleep disturbances; why are they so negatively impactful? What does a healthy sleep pattern do for us?
Healthcare professionals agree that the amount of sleep we get directly impacts our ability to regulate our emotions. In fact, studies have shown that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a critical sleep state that allows an individual to process the stressors of the day and effectively separate distressful memories from the emotional responses they are tied to.
If you’ve ever noticed that an individual in deep sleep is moving their eyes back and forth beneath their eyelids, that’s when this beautiful work is happening. REM sleep is the foundation of what Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) comes from, which mimics this sleep state in an awake state, and allows an individual to reprocess traumatic and distressing memories and reduce the emotional charge from those events.
The Consequences of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation begins to affect the mind and body very quickly. Children, teens, and adults alike can experience negative impacts after only a single night of sleep deprivation, with increased symptoms of body pain, anxiety, depression, paranoia, decreased moral judgment, and overall challenges in decision-making.
Giving ourselves the benefit of a full night’s sleep is like taking our vitamins, drinking enough water, and eating a balanced diet. This is a need for overall health and well-being.
Tips for Better Sleep
Now that we know how important sleep is, how do we ensure we get enough of it?
1. Control What You Can Control
Keep Your Schedule
Going to bed at the same time every night gives your body the ability to learn and maintain your internal clock, a.k.a. your circadian rhythm. This is like your body’s internal alarm clock that tells you when to sleep and wake up, but also affects other processes like digestion, hormones, and body temperature.
Relax Before Bedtime
Develop a sleep routine that promotes relaxation. This tells your mind and body that it’s time to wind down. This may include limiting screen time before bed, reading, dimming the lights, and keeping the temperature in the room comfortable.
Be Mindful of What You Eat and Drink
Limiting stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and even sugar before bed is helpful to reduce energy. Eating smaller meals or a healthy snack is a better choice than a large meal, especially very close to bedtime.
2. Ensure Daily Habits Support Sleep
Exercise is healthy! But it should occur at least a few hours prior to bedtime. Sunshine provides a healthy dose of energy through Vitamin D and should occur for a few minutes each day during the wake cycle. Visit your doctor to assess any medical conditions that could be impacting your sleep.
The Connection Between Sleep and Overall Wellness
Remember: Overall wellness encompasses taking care of all aspects of yourself, and our physical, emotional, and mental well-being all have a profound impact on one another.
Pay attention to how much sleep you need to feel 100% and focus on controlling what you can to get there each day. Perhaps next time, the conversation with Susie won’t feel so irritating.
References:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-19400-1
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Effect-of-Sleep-on-Your-Emotions.aspx
https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/14/3/74
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079225000644
https://project-sleep.com/sleep-and-emotion/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/circadian-rhythm