Mental Health and Sleep | We all have had issues with sleep, very few people get exactly what they need every night, every week. This is our reality, and we like our busy lives, so at what cost?
According to the 2015 sleep in American poll, stress and poor health are key factors in shorter sleep durations and worse sleep quality...
Adults who said they have very good or excellent health and quality of life reported sleeping 18–23 minutes more on average in the past week than those who said they have good, fair, or poor health and quality of life. (study from www.sleepfoundation.org)
One of the differentiators that were identified for experiencing poor sleep was living with chronic pain. The national, random-sample poll found that 21% of Americans reported chronic pain, 36% acute pain, and 43% no pain.
Of those with no pain, 65% reported a good or very good sleep quality vs. 46% reported in those with acute pain and 36% of those with chronic pain. These statistics are quite good indicators for sleep and how chronic pain can affect quality of sleep.
The survey further showed that about 1 in 4 people with chronic pain (23%) were diagnosed with a sleep disordervs. 6% of all others. Higher stress levels were also reported in 23% of those with chronic pain vs. 7% of those without pain.
- This should be a call to action for those with chronic pain that have sleep deficiencies to take necessary steps, see their medical provider and get the help needed to treat the chronic pain so that sleep quality improves.
Even among those with pain, a higher motivation to get sleep was associated with longer sleep durations and better sleep quality. “Understanding the importance of sleep and taking a proactive approach to bed times can help everyone improve their sleep, even people with pain,” said Knutson (from the study). “Taking control of your sleep is an important step in taking control of your health.”
Getting just 15–30 minutes more sleep a night can make a difference in how people feel. Prioritizing sleep and setting a routine bedtime can improve quality of life for people living with chronic or acute pain.
We all can improve our lives with better sleep (albeit short or long term based on situation), the reality here is that while we want to maintain our highly productive lifestyle, it is all cause / effect, get the right amount of good sleep we are able to stay connected to our chosen lives, and if we try to side step this, it will catch up to us and we will pay another price. The choice is up to you.
