Find Out How Graveyard Shifts Can Affect Mental Health

In the modern world we live in today, it is very important for people to learn how to adapt. With advanced technology on the rise, it is becoming more and more difficult to take proper care of ourselves, especially with unhealthy sleeping habits that are common among most Americans. Most people believe that the older they get, the more sleep they need since they fatigue easily.

However, growing children, teenagers, and young adult also need adequate sleep in order for the body to be fully rested especially if they have been using so much energy the entire day. Unfortunately, more and more people are getting away with less sleep because of their busy lifestyles, which leads to serious health issues down the line.

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Lack of sleep affects a person physically and mentally

Importance of Sleep

Sleep is the most important part of our lives apart from eating and staying hydrated. It plays an essential role in the overall performance of the mind and body. Experts say that having at least 7-8 hours of sleep every single day is ideal since it’s the ideal amount of time your brain needs to recharge. Sleeping less than the recommended hours may lead to several health-related problems.

One of the effects of not having enough sleep is weight gain. Those who don’t get much sleep tend to eat more in order to compensate for the lack of energy they are experiencing. But this energy in the form of extra calories doesn’t have the same effect as a few extra hours of sleep.

When the body is asleep, it doesn’t recharge the energy, but conserves it in order to decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, while letting the brain do its job. There are things our brain can only do while the body is asleep, which is why having enough rest is very important.

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95 percent of Americans had at least one episode of insomnia

However, it’s not just about the quantity of your sleep that affects your health, but also the quality. There are times when people get enough sleep, but they still wake up feeling exhausted or restless. Sleep experts say that this may be caused due to disruption in your circadian rythm, especially if you’re used to sleeping during the day when the sun is up.

Naps can be good during the day, but the quality of sleep is not exactly the same. Unfortunately, there are people who have no choice but to work at night, such as medical staff, security personnel, and other emergency responders such as firefighters, medic, and police officers. It turns out that being awake during the night while sleeping during the day may have an adverse effect on a person’s mental health.

Mental Health Gets Affected

There are times when people don’t get to choose their sleep timing due to the nature of their job, but there are also times when people choose to stay up so late just because they want to spend more time using their gadgets. Either way, there are tons of negative consequences of low quality sleep or less sleep on the brain.

Based on recent studies from the National Center for Biotechnology Information and National Institute of Health, sleep can increase the risk of developing mental health issues like depression. This is due to the disruption of the circadian rhythm, which is responsible for regulating the body’s hormonal balance and controling sleep patterns. Lack of sleep will lead to poor work or school performance since your mind will have a difficult time focusing on anything but sleep.

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The quality of sleep during the day is not exactly the same as it is during the night. People who don’t get that much sleep or don’t get good quality sleep can become short-tempered, irritable, lethargic, unable to think and focus, have slow reflexes, and sensitive to light. This also causes mood swings and depression.

Negative thoughts and feelings come out when a person doesn’t get the kind of sleep that their body needs. Keep in mind that this doesn’t just happen to adults; children and teens are also just as likely to get affected especially if they happen to stay up so late during the night, and wake up very early the next day. Sleep doesn’t just help the body recharge, it also keeps the mind alert.