Sleep and Mental Health | Deep Sleep, Circadian Rhythms and Neurotransmitters

Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Qualified Clinical Supervisor. She received her PhD in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida in 2002. In addition to being a practicing clinician, she has provided training to counselors, social workers, nurses and case managers internationally since 2006 through AllCEUs.com #sleep #circadianrhythm #mentalhealth #holistic #integrative

Video by Dr. Dawn Elise Snipes on integrative behavioral health approaches including counseling techniques and skills for improving mental health and reducing mental illness.

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Objectives
- Learn about sleep
- The function of sleep
- Sleep cycles
- How much is enough
- How lack of sleep contributes to feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability
- Learn techniques for sleep hygiene

What is the Function of Sleep
- Sleep is time to rest and restore
- Adequate sleep improves memory and learning, increases attention and creativity, and aids in concentration and decision making.
- Toxins that accumulate in the brain are thought to be cleared out during sleep
- Healing and repair of cells takes place during sleep
- Sleep helps to maintain the balance of hormones in the body:
- Ghrelin and leptin, which regulate feelings of hunger and fullness
- Insulin, which is responsible for the regulation of glucose in the blood

Functions cont…
- Sleep deficiency is also linked to a higher risk of
- Cardiovascular disease
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Sleep deprivation is correlated to
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Fatigue/Loss of energy

Understanding Sleep Cycles
- Stage 1 NREM sleep is when you drift in and out of light sleep and can easily be awakened.
- Stage 2 NREM brainwaves slow with intermittent bursts of rapid brain waves, the eyes stop moving, the body temperature drops and the heart rate begins to slow down. 
- This stage usually lasts for approximately 20 minutes
- Stage 3 NREM sleep, also known as deep sleep or delta sleep, is marked by very slow delta brainwaves. There is no voluntary movement. You are very difficult to wake.
- This stage usually lasts for approximately 30 minutes
- The largest percentage of Deep Sleep comes in the early part of the total night's sleep pattern
Understanding Sleep Cycles
- REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) is characterized by temporary paralysis of the voluntary muscles and fast, irregular breathing, inability to regulate body temperature, faster brain waves resembling the activity of a person that is awake.
- Most dreams occur during REM sleep

How Much is Enough?
Sleep and Hormones
- Estrogen usually improves the quality of sleep, reduces time to fall asleep, and increases the amount of REM sleep
- Too little or too much testosterone may affect overall sleep quality
- Cortisol is your stress hormone and prevents restful sleep
- Thyroid hormones which are too high can cause insomnia and too low can cause fatigue and lethargy

Nutrition and Sleep
- Tryptophan is used to make serotonin
- Serotonin is used to make melatonin
- Melatonin functions to help you feel sleepy
- Caffeine is a stimulant with a 6-hour half life
- Nicotine is a stimulant with a 2-hour half life
- Decongestants are stimulants with a 2 hour half life
- Antihistamines make you drowsy but contribute to poor quality sleep
- Alcohol blocks REM sleep and can cause sleep apnea
Nutrition cont…
- Eat a high protein dinner to ensure you have enough tryptophan in the body
- Make sure you are getting enough
- Selenium
- Vitamin D
- Calcium
- Vitamin A
- Magnesium
- Zinc

Sleep Hygiene
- Create a wind-down ritual
- Reduce or eliminate exposure to blue-light 1 hour before bed (TV, Computer, Phone, some light bulbs)
- Go to bed at roughly the same time every night
- Eliminate as much light as possible (Sleep mask)
- Eliminate as much noise as possible (Ear plugs)
- Do not exercise or take a hot bath within 2 hours of bed.
- Keep the room cool (72 is ideal)
- Consider a cooling pillow and mattress topper
- Avoid anything that might get you upset (Social media)

Summary
- Insufficient quality sleep contributes to
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Reduced reaction time
- Apathy
- During deep sleep is when researchers think the brain rests and rebalances.
- Over time sleep deprivation can cause changes in
- Neurotransmitter levels
- Immune functioning
Summary cont…
- Most people could benefit from auditing their sleep quality
- Reduce light
- Reduce noises
- Reduce bathroom trips
- Reduce wake-ups because of allergies or being too hot
- Stop caffeine 6 (preferably 12) hours before bed
- If you are only willing to change one thing this month to start being happier, more energetic and clearer headed, sleep might be a great place to start.