5 Steps to Improve Sleep & Emotional Vulnerability

Most of us don’t need science to tell us that sleep and emotion are closely linked.  Spend a couple nights with interrupted sleep or talk to any parent of a newborn and the connection is quite clear. The connection appears not just in everyday life.  In certain physical and mental disorders sleep disturbance and emotion dysregulation are hallmark symptoms. Symptoms of one rare disorder, cataplexy, which often co-occurs with the sleep disorder, narcolepsy for example, include sudden muscle weakness when a person experiences strong emotion, such as anger or fear, or exhilaration. Lack of adequate sleep also is commonly linked with emotional or psychological problems. Examples include depression and PTSD, while sleep disturbances combined with emotional reactivity are key dimensions of bipolar disorder. And even when lack of sleep isn’t connected to rare disorders or affective psychological problems, it is linked to increased emotionality.  Yelling at traffic more often, bursting into tears over minor grievances, anxious about perceived slights that your rational mind tells you are only part of the picture.  These are some examples of the type of intense and overwhelming emotion that we tend to experience when we’re not getting enough sleep. This relationship between sleep and emotion is not one-way.  Lack of sleep may make you feel more intensely, while at the same time, intense feelings, particularly painful emotions, can affect the quality of your sleep.  Dreams...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Anger Anxiety and Panic Bipolar Brain and Behavior Depression Disorders General Habits Happiness Health-related Mental Health and Wellness PTSD Self-Help Sleep Stress Adequate Sleep Cataplexy Circadian Rhythm Dysregulat Source Type: blogs