Overnight Therapy: Why REM Sleep is the Ultimate Anxiety-Killer
I wanted to share a pretty cool (or nerdy) thing I came across this morning. I've been doing an advent reading challenge over the month of December my wife, Ali, introduced me to.
Two main points are to create a habit of reading (for me, this is where I'm trying to grow in my spiritual life) and the other is to create a habit of limiting phone use 🤯
*GASP*...I know!...
I just read for day 20 and it's all about sleep and I wanted to share with you because I think it can help. Here was the big takeaway from today:
What is REM Sleep? (And Why Your Brain Needs It)
Most people think sleep is just "powering down." In reality, though, sleep is an active part of recovery!
REM sleep is the only time during your life when your brain is 100% free of anxiety molecules ( noradrenaline/norepinephrine) which is your “flight or fight'“ response.
While this stress chemical is "switched off," your brain’s emotional and memory centers (the amygdala and the hippocampus) stay active.
The Benefits of "Overnight Therapy"
This unique situation lets your brain to reprocess the challenging events of your day without the painful "sting" of stress. It’s like a built-in therapy session that:
Files away memories from the day.
Removes emotional baggage from those memories.
Resets your nervous system for the next morning.
Why Sleep Issues Mess Up Your Success
When we sacrifice sleep to "get more done," we aren't just tired; we are actually damaging our cognitive tools. Here is how sleep loss impacts active adults like us
1. Impaired Decision-Making
Without REM sleep, your amygdala becomes hyper-reactive. This is why a minor work inconvenience at 9:00a feels like a total crisis when you’re sleep-deprived. You lose your “cool” 😎
2. Poor Memory Integration
Think of your hippocampus as your brain’s "inbox." Sleep is when those emails get filed into long-term folders. If you don't sleep, you’re working with a cluttered inbox and no organization.
3. The "Brain Wash"
During sleep, your brain literally flushes out metabolic waste. Skipping sleep is like letting trash pile up in your office for a week—eventually, you can't find your desk, and your performance suffers.
My Challenge to You
The biggest thief of this "overnight therapy" is the blue light and constant dopamine of our phones.
By putting my phone away earlier this month, I’ve realized that I’m not just "getting rest," - I’m giving my mind the space it needs to heal and grow. (Sadly, I admit this is a really hard thing to do, but doable!) I've been more present with family and also don't want my kids to see im glued to my phone.
If you’ve been feeling stressed or "off" lately, maybe the best spiritual or mental health practice you can start tonight is simply turning off the screen an hour early.
Hope you have a restful and joy filled week leading up to Christmas!
Dr. Luke
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