The Role Sleep Plays In Stress & Depression

Sleep is a major component of good health. Insufficient sleep can affect everything from your immune system to blood pressure to obesity and even diabetes. But more to the point, lack of proper sleep is a major body stressor and can be a direct cause of depression. Some doctors have called lack of sleep the number one health problem in the world today. So, how much is enough? The standard answer is that adults need 7-8 hours a night, but that’s actually a meaningless statement. The quality of sleep you get probably matters far more than the quantity. Which do you think is more beneficial: six hours of deep, restful sleep or eight hours of fitfully tossing and turning while you sleep? In the end, the depth of sleep is crucial. 

If you’re not sleeping well, what can you do? Unfortunately, sleeping pills, like most medications, don’t deal with the cause, only the symptoms of an unaddressed problem. One of the current stories in the news is about people using the drugs Ambien and Lunesta, who find themselves sleepwalking, sleep phone calling, sleep cooking, sleep eating, and sleep driving (no kidding). The FDA has ordered all manufacturers of prescription sleep aids to strengthen their label warnings to include these potential side effects. This news makes it abundantly clear that sleeping pills won’t provide the rest you need. In fact, new studies now show that sleeping pills only help you fall asleep about 12 minutes sooner and gain only about 12 minutes extra sleep per night—hardly a big deal."

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