II. What is Good Sleep?

There are two levels of sleep that occur in cycles when you go to bed for the night:

• Quiet sleep is the first level that allows your body and physiological processes to slow down so that you can fall into a progressively deeper sleep. Your heart beat and breathing slow down and fall into a rhythm slower than when you are awake. Your brain also slows down so that it is less easily disturbed, agitated or awakened. There are three stages of ‘quiet sleep’ that you go through before you arrive at the dream sleep.
• Dream sleep, known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is the second level, when your mind is active, but your body is inactive. During dream sleep, your mind recharges itself and stores new information learned. With a full night’s sleep, you would go into 3 to 5 cycles of REM sleep and fully recharge your brain ready for the following day’s activities. Without REM sleep, your mind may lose the ability to retain the new information acquired. Research has also shown that lack of sleep has a significant effect on both the mind and the body.

Your body has a natural cycle for sleeping and staying awake, and this cycle can be affected by outside influences, like light, work schedules, or changes in your body’s hormone and chemical levels. We often do not realise how we go about our day, what we eat, and how the setup of our bedrooms can contribute to sleep problems.

There are also different sleep requirements for people at different stages of their life. The need for more sleep varies with age so that the brain and body have more time to develop and rejuvenate:

Studies also show that:

• Women generally are more sensitive to sleep deprivation than men, in that they tend to show more moodiness and fatigue causing them to become more stressed [19, 20].
• Those who are deprived of sleep, regardless of age or gender are more likely to show general sleepiness, irritability, forgetfulness, clumsiness, lower work/school performance, etc. which may lead to anxious thoughts or feelings [17, 18].
• Good sleep is essential to the reduction of anxiety.

Sleep deficiencies and problems do not always happen overnight. We often lose sleep over something we have done during a busy day’s schedule. The only problem with that is the occasional poor sleep can lead to poorer sleep habits, sleep deprivation, and insomnia. These long-term sleep problems cannot always be solved by swallowing sleeping pills or other medications.

If you are not getting enough sleep (about 7.5 hours a night), you may be experiencing partial sleep deprivation. This can lead to:

• irritability；
• headaches；
• stomach problems； and
• soreness in joints.

In the long-term, these small sleep deficits can lead to a number of chronic health conditions like:

• obesity；
• high blood pressure； and
• heart disease.

People with anxiety are already at risk with heart problems, so not getting enough sleep can increase the risk.

Medications are often taken to help people sleep, but sleep time is only increased by 10 minutes on average, and the time to fall asleep is reduced by only 10-12 minutes on average [2]. If you experience severe anxiety or insomnia as a result of anxiety, sleeping pills may still be useful in the short term, but should not be the only way to get a good night’s rest.

Because they are stimulants, nicotine and caffeine obstruct sleep and should be avoided. People often think that alcohol improves sleep, which it does because it is a depressant - but it disrupts deeper stages of sleep and REM sleep, which you need for proper brain functioning.

You can get by without a full night’s rest, but you must ensure that it becomes a habit. When this happens, you should sleep longer, or go to sleep earlier. Although you cannot completely “catch up” with sleep, you can ensure that your body stays in rhythm with sufficient sleep to stay healthy.

Partial sleep deprivation in the long term can lead to insomnia and sleep disorders, as well as the increased risk for anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders can also be a cause of sleep problems, and sleep problems may make anxiety worse. By actively changing your environment and habits to improve your sleep, this can help lessen the connection and improve wellbeing.