7 Ways Lack Of Sleep Can Affect Your Mental Health
bySarah Bunton
I'm pretty sure every new parent has made the joke at some point that going without sleep should be considered a form of torture. In a way, they're not too far off from the truth. Though going without adequate rest may not leave any physical scars, there are plenty of ways lack of sleep can affect your mental health.
You're not imaging things or being dramatic — sleep deprivation has some serious effects. Sure, there are funny, anecdotal moments, like accidentally putting the remote control in the fridge or forgetting where you left your glasses only to find them on your head, but an on-going lack of sleep can be interfere with your life and is decidedly not humorous. In fact, according to the Geneva Convention, sleep deprivation is legitimately considered a method of torture because of the extreme toll it can take on a person's mental well-being.
Ask any parent, veteran or newbie, and they will tell you that interrupted sleep, lack of sleep, and disruptions to their normal sleep schedule can be some of the most difficult aspects of parenthood. So before you try and laugh of your absent-mindedness or convince yourself that you don't really need a full eight hours of sleep every night to be a functioning human, you might want to check out the very real ways a lack of sleep can affect your mental health, and in turn, your life.