Sleeptime is a privilege as an adult. We cherish our ability to take a rest, settle in for a good night’s sleep, and choose when we want to wake up, or how late we want to stay up the next night. Just like cheeky children who choose to disobey their parents’ rules and stay up late, we can be just as mischievous in our adulthood. Despite knowing that we scientifically need anywhere between 6 to 10 hours of sleep a night in order to be in our best health, we deprive ourselves of necessary sleep. When we are in recovery from trauma, our sleep hygiene is often affected. Nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, paranoia, obsessive thinking, and other stimulations can keep us awake for all hours of the night, no matter how desperately we want to fall asleep.
Scientific Reports released a study which suggests that having a proper, child-like bedtime as an adult can lead to better sleep. Researchers from Duke University Medical Center in the US studied nearly 2,000 adults and their sleep patterns, along with their health, wellbeing, and metabolic health. Through data analysis, researchers found that regularity in sleep patterns had a high association with better overall health. Regularity in sleep patterns can mean going to sleep around the same time, waking up around the same time, and/or getting the same amount of hours of sleep. Participants with irregular sleep patterns had more challenges with their weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
One of the researchers spoke with Inverse, explaining that “individuals with more irregular sleep and wake times tended to be less physically active, more stressed, and more depressed- and that all of these circumstances can contribute to poorer metabolic health, as well as general health. For those recovering from trauma in their lives, sleep is critical. The additional distress caused by a lack of regular sleep can be extremely triggering. Individuals who already feel less inspired for physical activity, more stressed, and more depressed, are prone to those experiences even more greatly.
When trauma is healed, the mind can rest more easily. Trauma treatment and trauma recovery help many people sleep peacefully for the first time in quite possibly their entire lives.
Trauma is most often the root cause of many emotional, behavioral, and mood disorders. Until you can heal your trauma, you will find great difficulty finding the healing you need to live a life of recovery, health, and wellness. At Khiron House, we provide effective residential treatment and cutting edge therapies which seek to transform mind, body, and spirit from the effects of trauma. Call us today for information. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours) USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).