I am a firm believer in the concept of a mind-body link, because when my body is f*cked, my mind falls apart completely.
I’m beginning to learn that a lack of rest is among the biggest drivers of my anxiety symptoms. When I’m tired, I can’t fight my OCD urges and I become depressed, anxious, and paranoid. I didn’t have a single good night of sleep early in the week and the result was my mind falling completely apart during a long car trip. I’m already an awful car passenger – so bad that I’m in my 30’s and have still never had a driver’s license. I was in full-on self-abuse mode, which comprised of pinching my skin extremely hard and hitting myself in the head – two things that make my girlfriend very upset.
Not a complete shock – here’s an excerpt from a Journal of Sports Science and Medicine paper:
“…it is well established that sleep deprivation can result in impairments in affective states (e.g.increased anxiety, depressed mood, anger, tension, frustration and irritability) and cognitive functions (JrLeDuc et al., 2000; Orton and Gruzelier, 1989; Scott et al., 2006). Martin and Gaddis (1981) demonstrated that 30 hours sleep deprivation significantly affected psychological responses without affecting physical performance.”
So that’s one piece of evidence supporting the notion that our minds are more fragile than our bodies, at least when it comes to a lack of sleep.
But today’s a better day. I slept for nine straight, hard hours last night – a lot for me and enough to make me feel extremely disoriented when I woke up. I had pretty crazy dreams too involving two sexy maids and a beach party in the West Village area of NYC. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly my defenses fall apart when I’m exhausted, and how they always get built again when I rest.
I think it’s a good sign that I always bounce back. So if you have anxiety issues – get some f*cking sleep!
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Good advice.
Sometimes when I don’t sleep enough, I’m tired and slaphappy. Since I have an excuse not to behave perfectly, I relax my fears of what other people think since I’m thinking “I have no sleep. f* everything and your expectations too”
It’s oversleeping that lowers my defenses. I have to wake up early in the morning if I’m to stay above the water.