If you struggle to sleep, find it hard to focus, feel daytime fatigue, and notice a drop in your mood, you might be experiencing sleep disorders. Treating your sleep condition allows you to achieve proper sleep and improve your physical and mental health. Here’s how a sleeping problem relates to mental illness:
What Is a Sleeping Disorder?
While occasional trouble sleeping is common, persistent disruptions may signify sleep disorders. These are conditions that affect your ability to regularly rest soundly at night. If you take too long to fall asleep and rarely remain asleep, you could have insomnia. This condition leaves you feeling unrefreshed, irritable, and anxious. People who experience short interruptions in their breathing at night may have sleep apnea. When the airway becomes obstructed repeatedly, you may snore, gasp, snort, or pause breathing. This results in restless nights and daytime sleepiness.
If you experience uncomfortable sensations such as tingling or crawling in your legs when falling asleep, it might be restless leg syndrome. For narcolepsy, the brain fails to regulate your resting and waking cycles, making you doze off uncontrollably during the day. If sleep conditions are unmanaged, they can increase your risk for accidents at work, home, or on the road. They can also trigger chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease. A neurologist will help you identify whether you have a sleeping problem and provide personalized treatment.
Is Trouble Sleeping a Mental Illness?
Not all sleep disorders are connected to mental diseases. Neurologists refer to insomnia and hypersomnia, falling asleep excessively, as sleep-wake diseases that occur independently or as signs of illnesses like depression. These experts view other sleeping conditions as medical or brain-related ailments instead of mental illnesses. A general health condition like obesity can block the airway and cause sleep apnea. Managing obesity by starting a fat loss program can open up the airway, enabling you to fall asleep easily without mental or emotional treatments.
Despite these distinctions, there is a clear link between sleeping and mental health. A person with chronic insomnia could increase their risk of developing depression, while someone with bipolar disorder may have trouble resting during their manic or depressive episodes. Anxiety causes your mind to race and worry excessively, making falling asleep difficult.
Disorders That Can Mimic or Lead to Mental Illness
Failure to fall or remain asleep can seem like a mood disorder, especially without expert medical guidance. Sleep apnea, if left untreated, causes severe fatigue and mood swings, mimicking depression signs. When treated, it often improves both rest and mood, resolving the depressive symptoms. Parasomnias like night terrors or sleepwalking also cause emotional distress, mimicking psychological conditions. Nightmares may cause you to experience intense fear and shock, which can appear as a panic attack. Neurologists help to address sleeping issues early on and prevent them from developing into mental health issues.
Seek Help for Sleep Disorders
If you think you have a sleep disorder, visit a neurology service provider for help. The experts will determine whether your issue is only sleep-related or if you have any underlying conditions. They’ll also identify which disorder you have and create treatment plans that include therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes to improve your wellness. Contact a neurologist today to schedule a diagnostic appointment for your sleep issues.