Wondering why you are lonely? You see your friends, neighbors, your family, and all those people who love you, and actually, care about you. However, this awful feeling of loneliness and isolation is still chasing you everywhere and every time. I can tell you that all of your inner-self bad feelings and problems maybe just for one reason you have not thought about before. Simply, you do not sleep enough!
According to Adam Bown, the author of MattressesGuide, there are many factors that result in social isolation; however, recent studies suggest that lack of sleep may be one of them. Before we discuss this, first let us see.
What happens during our sleep?
Imagine that your mind is a battery, your body is a car or a machine that does various activities along the day, so, you sure need to charge your brain and supply your body with a suitable amount of energy. This cannot be completely fulfilled without sleep. Sleep helps your body restore its chemical balance. It simply recharges your batteries and prepares you for a new fresh day.
Regarding this, lack of sleep can lead you to serious problems. Your body will not be functioning well, and your mind will be disturbed. You may suffer from nervousness, anxiety, and unreasonable worries. Thinking about this, it will be like lowering your irritation threshold, everything is going to be messy; as if you are a time bomb that is going to explode at any moment.
Sleep and psychiatric disorders:
Lack of sleep was considered a symptom of some psychiatric disorders such as depression. Those who experienced depression noted that depressing thoughts kept them awake all night, and prevented them from sleep. However, things may go in the opposite direction also.
Think with me about it. Let us say that you have not got enough sleep yesterday, how can poor sleep affect you?
Actually, you will be very tired when you wake up. You may decide to cancel all your appointments and meetings. If you have a job to do, you may just lose it in the long run. All these troubles over a long time of insomnia and poor sleep will make you lose your social activities, and lead you to a bad mood, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
What does science say?
The relation between poor sleep and loneliness and other psychiatric problems has raised many questions over the last decade, especially among young adults who have been suffering a lot. Now, we are going to discuss some experiments that were done to prove the relation between poor sleep and loneliness.
A study in England which included a population of 2232 young adults, aged 23- 24, found that there is a negative relation between lack of sleep and loneliness. The study depended on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for assessing the degree of loneliness and the quality of sleep. However, the mechanism and the real causes are still not clear.
Another study in California included 18 healthy adults, aged 18- 24, shown interesting results. The study has been done through three phases: the laboratory phase, online phase 1 and online phase 2. The young adults had one-night sleep and one-night sleep deprived. Then, they were behaviorally observed after each night. The observation was through human communication and computerized task.
The results demonstrated that deprived sleep people have become avoidant and suffered from social separation. Particularly, those who have reported complaints of loneliness have shown a further distance of social isolation and avoidance. In addition, anxiety and depression symptoms were noticed.
The study explained these results as follows:
Lack of sleep has an underlying neural mechanism that results in hypersensitivity in some brain regions which warn of the human approach, and interfere with the understanding of another’s intent. This leads to social avoidance and loneliness. The study also noted that anxiety and low mood can be worsening factors more than lack of sleep. Also, sleep disturbance could interfere with lifespan, sex, and other vital functions.
Regarding the previously mentioned information, needless to say how far sleep affects our own social life and inner feelings. It also can determine how long we can live and enjoy a healthy life. So, here we are going to mention some ideas and solutions which may help you:
Therapists advise that we should stay awake if we cannot sleep. Move out of your bed! Do not think about anything, just find another activity or do some work. Surely, you will be tired and fall asleep. You have to consider sleep a major task and think about it as a daily duty, which has to be done. Give yourself the priority to rest. Go out, and talk to the people you love, practice sports and help yourself to relax. Nowadays, it is thought that sleep improvement can protect us from depression, anxiety, and loneliness. So, why are you still late? Do not ignore it! Poor sleep can lead you to serious problems.
About The Author:
My name is Adam Bown and I am a researcher of Mattress and Sleep products. I publish all my research on MattressesGuide.com. I am a family man and love to pass time with my wife and son. I also love to travel and hang out with positive people when I find the time!
