Why Sleep Is So Important

You’re exhausted and fall into bed, hoping for sleep to come quickly. Hours later, you’re still wide awake and more than a little frustrated. Or, maybe you fall asleep but wake in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.

However your insomnia shows up, it’s robbing you of much-needed rest. While this lack of sleep can certainly zap your energy levels, the effects of insomnia extend far beyond daytime fatigue.

At Point of View Mental Health in Scottsdale, Arizona, our team specializes in chronic insomnia, a condition that affects about 12% of Americans. Here, we dive into why getting help for your sleep issues is important.

What happens while you sleep

When you lie down at night, your goal is to get restorative sleep, during which your body performs a number of different functions and resets itself. Not to mention, your body gets a much-needed break during the night.

To give you a more detailed idea about what occurs when you sleep, we break it into four sleep stages:

1. Stage N1

A period of very light sleep that lasts only a few minutes before you move into deeper sleep.

2. Stage N2

During this stage of sleep, which typically accounts for about half of your sleep time, your brain activity slows, but there are bursts of activity. 

3. Stage N3

During this stage of deep sleep, your heart and breathing rates slow, your blood pressure goes down, and your body performs metabolic functions, balancing your hormones. This stage accounts for about 10-20% of overall sleep.

4. REM sleep

REM stands for rapid-eye movement, and this is typically your last stage of sleep, which accounts for about 20-25% of your overall sleep time. During this stage, your muscles are paralyzed so they don’t react to your dreams, which take place during REM sleep. Your brain also sifts through the events of the previous day and consolidates them into memories.

So, from giving your cardiovascular system a rest to creating memories, sleep is incredibly important for your physical and mental health.

Getting help for insomnia and lack of sleep

Whether you’re one of the millions of Americans who have insomnia or you simply feel like you aren’t getting enough rest, it’s a very good idea to get help. Restorative sleep each night can make a world of difference in your quality of life and health.

At our practice, we treat sleep disorders from several different angles, usually with a combination of treatments that can include:

• Light therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Controlling stimuli
• Improved sleep hygiene
• Prescription sleep medications
• Relaxation techniques, like progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing exercises, and meditation

Each person is different, but we work with you until you’re getting a solid 7-9 hours of sleep each night and waking refreshed.

For help with your insomnia, contact our office at 520-999-9114 or connect with us online. We also offer telemedicine services throughout the state of Arizona.