If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone. Many people in Franklin, Tennessee, experience ongoing sleep issues that can affect energy levels, focus, mood, and overall health. Whether it’s difficulty falling asleep, waking up throughout the night, or feeling exhausted even after a full night in bed, poor sleep can take a serious toll on your daily life.
The good news is that sleep problems are often treatable once the underlying cause is identified. Conditions such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless sleep, and chronic fatigue can frequently be improved with the right evaluation and care. At Versal Sleep Medicine, our team specializes in helping patients understand why they aren’t sleeping well and creating personalized treatment plans to restore healthy, restorative sleep.
History Repeats Itself: Sleeping without Sleep
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s a holiday, the weekend, or the average workday. Sleep acts as our great inhibitor, preventing us from fulfilling our true selves. Our naivety attributes poor sleep to missing the customary 7 to 9 hours of sleep or to “too much coffee.” Yet, poor sleep may be more complicated than we think. In fact, we may be completely misinterpreting why we are sleeping poorly. What we attribute to “normal” can be extended broadly, yet not limited to:
- Waking up several times a night
- Feeling tired despite having adequate sleep
- Sleeping lightly and waking up easily
- Feeling restless and changing positions constantly
- Brain fog
- Irritability, stress, and mood swings
- Heightened anxiety
- Dependence on caffeinated products
If you’re experiencing these (or similar) symptoms, it’s time to reevaluate your sleep.
The Endless Psychic Clash: How Your Body is Taking a Toll
We’re prone to procrastinating on our bodily deficits until it’s too late. We underestimate the importance of sleep while emphasizing more tangible productivity, such as going to the gym or speed-calculating in Excel spreadsheets. Contrary to belief, however, sleep is extremely important for our bodies to recover after long days. The resulting effects of poor sleep can prove catastrophic in the long run:
Fragmented sleep is characterized by waking multiple times throughout the night. Whether conscious or unconscious, these phenomena are prone to disrupt deeper, restorative stages of sleep, which can intensify memory fragmentation, hinder the integration of experiences and emotions, and lead to a general disconnection from a sense of body and self.
Weakened Immune System: Early sleep is crucial for enhancing our immune responses. When we disrupt these processes, our responses become less effective against invasion from pathogens.
Dietary Habits: Food insecurity, such as excessive intake of refined sugar and fat, is closely related to insufficient sleep. Partial sleep restriction increases insulin resistance and impairs glucose tolerance, leading to excess energy and weight gain.
Circulatory System: During non-REM sleep, your heart rate and blood pressure drop, giving your heart time to rest. During REM sleep, your heart rate and blood pressure rise again. Sudden spikes in sleep increase the likelihood of strokes, chest pain, and heart attacks.
Temperature: Sleep is intricately linked to the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which is influenced by fluctuations in environmental temperature. Heat or cold can disrupt our natural rhythm, impairing sleep. Frequent sleep fragmentation can disrupt your circulatory system.
Frequent Use of Electronics Before Bedtime: Blue light emitted from electronic devices suppresses your body’s secretion of melatonin, an agent that influences your brain to sleep. Simple gestures, such as disabling blue light or avoiding electronic devices altogether before bedtime, can make a noticeable difference.
Sleep is not just an intangible property that can be ignored. It is a vital process where our body repairs, rests, and improves itself. Without sleep, our body stays stressed, irritable, and strained: a process that causes deterioration over time.
The Crashing Emissary: How our Body is Prone to Crash Without Sleep
We arrive at our workplace despite our severely overworked and sleepless bodies. Every small detail seems to irritate us to no end, until we explode in front of our co-workers during lunch hours. For many, this isn’t an episode of Mr. Bean’s comedy series but a daily occurrence. We may consider therapy, meditation, or other exercises. Yet, it is often our body signaling to us, “Sleep!”
Sleeplessness doesn’t limit itself to physical health; it also affects mental health. Over time, our mental processes can suffer terribly from our inability to sleep. These include, but are not limited to:
Chronic Stress: Irritable, stressed from trivial matters, and prone to exploding on our poor co-workers. Stress and sleep disorders are bidirectional. High levels of stress hormones decrease sleep duration and cause insomnia. Insomnia can cause anxiety and contribute to stress. Each feeds on the other, creating a snowball effect.
Depression: Sleep problems and depression are closely related. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Among people with depression, 75% have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.” Sleep deprivation impairs our ability to regulate our emotional selves, making us more prone to depressive symptoms.
Mood Swings: Poor sleep can make us short-tempered, irritable, and more prone to mood swings. Studies show that those with inadequate sleep are mentally exhausted, angry, and sad.
Brain Fog: Characterized by a slow, fuzzy feeling that prevents us from reaching clarity. It is often the result of our brain’s inability to consolidate memories, leading to slower reaction times and reduced attention.
Sadly, many of us have accepted these phenomena as part of daily life. We admit defeat and slug on with our lives, feeling unable to reach our potential of who we really are. However, we would be largely mistaken. Improving sleep is possible: we can benefit from efficiency, balance, and sufficient rest. The question is whether we are ready to make the transition.
Taking Control: Make That Choice!
Poor sleep isn’t permanent. Simple changes and a willingness to act can make a large difference. Some simple steps you can take right away include, but are not limited to:
- Keep your bedroom dark and cool
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid overeating before sleep
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol
- Meditation
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
- Limit exposure to blue light (and screens) if possible
Simple fixes to your sleep can completely transform it. Long-term improvement requires dedication, persistence, and resilience.
Sleep Medicine in Franklin, TN — Schedule an Evaluation
If you are experiencing a lack of sleep or sleep-related breathing problems, don’t ignore them. Early diagnosis can help prevent complications and improve quality of life. We proudly serve patients in Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville, Cool Springs, Spring Hill, and surrounding communities across Middle Tennessee.
Contact Versal Sleep Medicine of Cool Springs in Franklin, TN, to schedule a sleep medicine appointment. Our compassionate care team is here to help you breathe easier and feel better.
Sources:
Dalena van der Kloet, D., Merckelbach, H., Giesbrecht, T., & Lynn, S. J. (2012). Fragmented Sleep, Fragmented Mind: The Role of Sleep in Dissociative Symptoms: The Role of Sleep in Dissociative Symptoms. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(2), 159-175. (Original work published 2012)
Merrill, R. M. (2022). Mental Health Conditions According to Stress and Sleep Disorders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7957. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137957
St-Onge MP, Cherta-Murillo A, Darimont C, Mantantzis K, Martin FP, Owen L. The interrelationship between sleep, diet, and glucose metabolism. Sleep Med Rev. 2023 Jun;69:101788. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101788.
NIH Why Is Sleep Important? (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important)
Liu, X., and C. Guilleminault. “Sleep and Circadian Rhythms.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 13, 23 Apr. 2019,
Silvani, M. I., Werder, R., & Perret, C. (2022). The influence of blue light on sleep, performance, and wellbeing in young adults: A systematic review. *Frontiers in Physiology*, *13*, Article 943108. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.943108
Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/depression-and-sleep-understanding-the-connection)
Havard Medical School: Sleep and Mood (https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/education-training/public-education/sleep-and-health-education-program/sleep-health-education-87)
Havard Medical School: 8 secrets to a good night’s sleep (https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/8-secrets-to-a-good-nights-sleep)