This isn’t something you can control and can happen at any time. We often refer to this as being ‘zoned out’ or ‘spaced out’. The Better Sleep Council describes micro sleeping as, “a brief, involuntary episode of unconsciousness lasting anywhere from a fleeting moment up to several seconds.” You can even think you’re awake and are performing a task, but certain parts of your brain are actually asleep. Long term insomnia can lead to microsleep, which means you fall asleep for very brief moments of time when you should be awake. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine explains that, “Studies show that insomnia negatively affects work performance, impairs decision-making and can damage relationships.” You might be more forgetful, or find that you are not retaining new skills as well as you should be. Your reaction times might be slower, affecting your performance. You might find that you are unable to keep up with tasks or aren’t performing as well as you would normally. It’s easy to see how this can lead to problems at work or school. This can impact relationships and confidence levels.Īll of these cognitive issues can make it very hard to function during the day. Lack of sleep can also lower libido in both men and women, causing reduced sex drive. Research shows that insomnia is linked to higher levels of depression and suicide. Many people who have chronic insomnia struggle with mood swings, acting out of character, being impulsive, feeling hopeless, or lacking motivation. Since lack of sleep causes us to struggle with emotional regulation, this can contribute to mental illness. The National Institutes of Health states that, “If you’re sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change.” This can markedly impact our quality of life. Sleep deficiency can cause cognitive difficulties including making it tough to learn new things to form new memories and recall old ones to make positive, helpful choices to pay attention to the task at hand and to regulate our emotions, among many other factors. If we don’t get the sleep we need it can take its toll on our mind and body. What happens if we don’t get enough sleep? Reduced risk of other chronic illnesses.Better social interaction and stronger relationships.Enhancing mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Increased energy and alertness during the day.To summarize let’s go over the benefits of a restful sleep: Sleep also helps us to maintain a healthy sex drive. It also helps to control the hormones which control when we feel hungry and full, therefore actively helping us to maintain a healthy weight. Sleep helps to regulate insulin, which controls our blood sugar level and keeps us healthy. Our immune system also needs sleep to stay strong and work efficiently. This includes hormones which boost muscle mass, help us grow and develop, and repair cells and any tissue damage (including repairing our heart and blood vessels to keep them strong). During sleep our mind communicates with our body to release hormones which perform vital jobs. Sleep is also vital for our physical health. Studies show that sleep enhances learning, creativity, attention, and good decision making. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and develop moving forward. When you’re asleep your mind is consolidating everything that happened during the day and forming memories. While we’re asleep there’s a great deal going on in our mind and body which keeps us physically and mentally healthy. Well you’ll no doubt know that sleep is vital for all of us, but it’s not just about getting rest. You might be wondering why insomnia is such a big deal. Daytime symptoms often revolve around issues functioning during the day, since you aren’t getting the sleep you need for your mind and body to function optimally. Insomnia can lead to both nighttime and daytime symptoms. Symptoms can even vary for one person over time, depending on external factors and how proactive they are in treating their insomnia. If you struggle with insomnia, you might find it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep, or both! Insomnia can vary in severity for each individual. Insomnia is by far the most common sleep disorder, experienced by up to 35% of adults.

Insomnia help guide