Quality sleep helps the brain stay consistent regarding thinking activity and other cognitive functions. We spoke to Mr Anand Nichani, MD, Magniflex India (Italian mattress brand), who says that sleep has a deep connection with mental health.
What’s the longest you’ve stayed without sleep? The busy culture of today’s world has sadly dignified, even popularised, sleep deprivation for the sake of putting in more and more work. But people fail to realise that sleep has a deep connection with mental health. Quality sleep helps the brain stay consistent regarding thinking activity and other cognitive functions.
Quality sleep is critical for the brain to shut down and get rest. When that doesn’t happen, you risk insomnia, depression, and anxiety, among other problems. Lack of quality sleep can cause mild issues such as irritability and constant drowsiness, and if continued, it can lead to major issues such as hypersomnia and narcolepsy.
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There are two types of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM. The non-REM sleep is considered to be the restful phase and has three stages where the person asleep will move from light sleep into deep sleep. REM sleep is the second type and it includes heightened brain activity with intense dreams.
Each stage plays a significant role in brain health, allowing activity in different parts of the brain to ramp up or down and enabling better brain activities. Research has also identified that emotional and mental health severely depends on the brain activity that takes place during sleep.
How to ensure quality sleep?
Here are a few most commonly talked about ways to ensure deep, restful sleep. Planning a sleep schedule and sticking to it is the first step to ensuring quality sleep. Monitoring your diet and healthy eating and drinking habits also have a crucial impact. Managing your stress and anxiety levels is key to restful and worry-free sleep and it is essential to have a good sleep environment.
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Now, what about quality mattresses & pillows? This indeed plays a crucial role but is unfortunately ignored by the majority.
Mattress: The ignored factor
Mattresses are the most overlooked factor regarding reasons affecting quality sleep. A quality mattress ensures a comfortable posture for deep sleep that contributes to positive mental health.
You should certainly avoid mattresses that cause the following issues:
In conclusion
Sleep is crucial, not only for physical but also for mental health. We all have our experiences of irritation and discomfort due to lack of sleep. These are not just examples but also a reminder of the importance of these key facts.