Healthy Brain Function and Emotional Well-Being

Sleep assists with the functioning of the brain. I’m sure we can all relate to that – when we feel as though we haven’t gotten enough sleep, we find it much harder to concentrate. While we are asleep, our brains actively prepare us for the following day by creating new ways to help us learn and remember information.

An adequate amount of sleep improves ones learning, studies show. No matter what that might be, whether you’re learning to play the guitar, how to tackle math questions, or how to drive. Sleep helps to enhance your learning and problem-solving skills, to make decisions, be creative, and to pay better attention.

In relation to emotional well-being, Sleep deficiency can alter the emotional parts of the brain. For example, if you’re sleep deficient, you may find it difficult to control your emotions and behaviour, and struggle coping with change. Sleep deficiency also shows some links to mental illnesses such as depression, suicide, and risk-taking behaviour.

Furthermore, Children and teenagers that suffer from sleep deficiency could experience problems with getting along with others. This can be due to increased feelings of anger, sadness, depression, and lack of motivation, and consequently, mood swings can develop.