Understanding Your Symptoms Better

An article in Sleep, a publication that is put out by the Sleep Research Society, discussed a sleep study that had some interesting findings on how lack of sleep affects behaviors in some profound ways. I’d like to share this with you not only to shed light on the importance of sleep therapy, but also to help you understand your symptoms better. Read on to find out more. 

The study was conducted on 123 participants to measure how sleep deprivation affects people’s willingness to engage in a variety of everyday behaviors. Like hunger and thirst, sleep is an essential biological need that we will seek to meet. It’s so strong, in fact, that it will override other human motivations such as socializing and physical activity.

In the study, those that underwent sleep deprivation showed a preference for rest and sleeping. In other words, trying to get good sleep was a main focus for them. In addition, they were less interested in taking part in social activities with others and wanted to be alone. There was a decreased willingness to engage in any physical activity such as walking, exercise, and even food shopping. What’s really fascinating is that they showed a willingness to pay money to be allowed to go to bed immediately. Talk about sleep being a powerful human need!

Looking back, you may have experienced a lack of desire to socialize or work out and didn’t know why, especially if these things were something you once enjoyed doing. You’re not alone, as this study suggests. While undergoing sleep therapy, it’s a good idea to keep track of behavior changes. Our goal is not only to get you to sleep well, but also to improve your overall well being. 

Here is a link to the article, if you are interested in learning more: https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/43/6/zsz291/5648004

I hope this helped shed some more light on the importance of quality sleep and let you know you are on the right track to improving your sleep! Please let me know if you have any questions. We are always happy to help.