Proper Sleep: Critical to Mental Health Part 1

Sleep holds immense significance. However, despite the remarkable scientific and technological achievements of the 21st century, the remarkable advancements in sleep medicine largely go unnoticed, ignored, or dismissed by the majority of healthcare professionals.

The lack of clinical sleep knowledge is particularly evident in the treatment of individuals with mental health conditions, who frequently struggle with sleep disorders and frequently express their concerns.

Many people suffering from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts also grapple with diagnosable and treatable sleep disorders. Unfortunately, these conditions are rarely examined or understood from the perspective of modern sleep medicine.

Instead, individuals facing mental health and sleep disorders are often told, sometimes for years, to believe in only two approaches to address their sleep issues. Firstly, their doctors and therapists, with good intentions, explain that once their mental health is restored, their sleep problems should disappear. In other words, the focus is on fixing the mental health issue as the primary cause of sleep problems.

Alternatively, they are prescribed a range of sedating medications listed in medical references. Mental health patients often hear both theories and are encouraged to take prescription or over-the-counter drugs until their mental condition improves.