How Insomnia Impacts My Mental Health

Insomnia is an exhausting thing on its best day. Honestly, the toll it takes on a person's life is just too much for me some days.

For me, one of the most misunderstood things about insomnia is its impact on our emotional well-being. Being in a perpetual state of tiredness is not healthy for your mind. I am always tired; it is just the degree that varies on the day. There are very few days that I actually feel rested and recharged.

How insomnia affects my mental health

This impacts me every day and my relationships with the people around me. So many people have told me that it is just being tired, and I should not allow it to affect me that way.

Can I jump in here and add that this is really not a helpful comment? We would love nothing more than to just sleep it off. That is exactly the problem; we can't.

These are the things that rate right at the top for me.

Forgetfulness

This was never my strong suit to begin with, so having this area of my mind affected is a real bummer for me. I make lists so I do not forget the things I need to do, but before I know it, the list is missing and I have to make a new one. Did I take out the meat to defrost for dinner? Who knows? That is truly anyone's guess. The more tired I become, the worse this gets.

Slow thought processes and reactions

Everything slows down. My reaction time is slower to everything. I do not seem to be able to read social situations and people as quickly as I normally would. This can quickly turn into a stressful situation for a person. The conversation is hard to follow and you can't seem to concentrate long enough to actually keep up to respond appropriately. A slow reaction time can become dangerous when it comes to driving and working any kind of machinery; please be careful.

Irritability is a whole mood

You guys, tired Clair is a dragon lady. She is short on patience and very quick to annoy. I am not a huge fan of this version of myself. Oftentimes, It takes me a day or 2 to realize just exactly what is wrong with me. Ahh, that is it – a whole new level of exhaustion has been reached, and I am no longer user-friendly. This mood is tenacious and hard to control.

Take mental health seriously

Insomnia can seriously impact existing mental health conditions, like anxiety, depression, etc. Please reach out if you are not coping. Chat with your doctor or therapist. There's always someone willing to listen and help out. Be kind to yourself and others.

Never underestimate the impact of too little sleep on your mental health.