Insomnia & Problems with Sleep
Sleep is an important indicator of both physical and mental health. Restful sleep is very important to long term brain health, including memory, attention, processing speed, and mood. Having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep can be a symptom of anxiety or depression, or even an indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). There are also many foods and substances that can help or disrupt sleep. Alcohol and caffeine are two common substances that interfere with restful, continuous sleep. There is growing research showing that the timing of meals can contribute to sleep quality, and adults may want to consider the health benefits of regular intermittent fasting for ~14-16 hours to allow your body’s gut and brain to rest.
Lastly, exposure to blue light from computer screens for extended periods of time and digital content available for continuous scrolling are both major disruptors of sleep for people of all ages. For this reason, it is very important to place healthy boundaries around screen use and access to internet “news” to protect sleep and general mental health.
If sleep is an issue when meeting with Dr. Mann, she will take a detailed sleep history to better understand what may be contributing to your difficulties.
