To sleep, perchance to dream

I have a saying, (OK, I have a lot of sayings but this one is important) Sleep is paramount.  There is plenty to be said about the physical consequences of sleep deprivation, but my focus here is its effects on the brain.  In my practice, I’ve seen the capacity to get sufficient, restorative sleep to be a fundamental component to overall mental well-being, and especially so when working with clients that experience diagnosable mental disorders.  It’s a truism that, if we can’t get enough sleep, we just won’t make real progress.  It’s just that important.

There are a number of crucial neurological processes that occur only when we are asleep; the brain doesn’t just “switch off”.  The brain’s activity fluctuates during our sleep cycle as it goes through four specific stages, each making its own contribution to the brain’s work.  On the average, a person will go through about six cycles per night. 

In NREM, non-rapid eye movement, sleep, brain activity slows with occasional brief “sprints”.  In REM sleep, the brain’s activity increases quickly.  This is the stage when deep dreaming occurs. 

Good sleep, REM sleep in particular, contributes to the brain’s processing emotional information.  As we sleep, our brains are evaluating our thoughts and memories – making sense of them, filing them in the proper order.  Poor sleep is especially disruptive to the process of consolidating positive emotional information, negatively impacting mood and emotional reactivity, and worsening already existing disorders.  In severe cases, increased risk of suicidal ideation or acts of self-harm has been noted.  Adequate sleep contributes to clearer though processes, the capacity to learn new information and skills, and more accurate recall.  Proper, or improper, sleep will profoundly affect emotional well-being. 

A vital activity our brain engages in as we sleep is the replenishment of our neurotransmitters.  Those are the chemicals that make our brain function by carrying “messages” between neurons.  Throughout the course of the day, our neurotransmitters get used up.  As we sleep, our supply is reconstituted so that the brain can function optimally.  Poor or limited sleep can interfere with the process so that we have to function with a deficit of neurotransmitters, setting the stage for the results we’ve already talked about.

The generally accepted perspective has been that difficulty with sleep was a symptom of a mental health disorder.  A greater understanding is evolving that the relationship isn’t one that is strictly one-way.  Sleep problems might well be a cause, as much as a result, of mental health issues.

If you’d like to learn more about sleep enhancement, feel free to visit us online at www.tlcincva.com, or give us a call at 540-989-1383.  Be well.