How Sleep Deprivation Affects Mental Health with Dr. Audrey Wells

Wellbeing in Medicine Podcast (formerly the MedEdWell Podcast)

Sleep deprivation is detrimental to physical health, mental health, and learning, but it’s harder to notice. It can affect your creativity and thinking skills. The best way to know if you are not getting enough sleep is to look at a time when you should have peak awareness.

If you feel like you are tired, yawning, or need a cup of coffee to function, that is a good indicator that you are not getting enough sleep. Becoming self-aware of what sleep deprivation looks likes for you can help you advocate and correct it. Everybody sleeps, and everyone needs sleep, and the more you are able to advocate for yourself, the more other people understand that they are not alone in their struggles.

Join the conversation with Dr. Audrey Wells as we discuss the importance of sleep and how we can take control of our sleep to feel more awake and improve our mental wellness and productivity.

During this episode, you will learn about;

[00:00] Introduction to the show

[02:07] A bit about our guest today, Dr. Audrey Wells

[02:40] Dr. well's career background and her journey in medicine

[04:29] What inspired Dr. Well into sleep medicine

[06:50] When Dr. Well realized that he was sleep sensitive

[10:21] Signs that show you are sleep deprived and need to take action

[11:19] The difference between sleep deprivation and being drunk

[14:55] One way to know if you are getting enough sleep

[16:09] Steps to take when you realize you have sleep problems

[19:19] A practical tip on how to take control of your sleep

[19:47] How screens compete with our sleep

[24:12] Self-awareness and putting limits on technology to give your brain some space

[25:41] Net gain loss: The impact of sleep on creativity and productivity

[29:12] Dr, Wells's message to her younger self and anyone starting out

[31:46] Ending the show and call to action

Notable Quotes

• One night of sleep loss is about the same as being drunk, having an alcohol level of 0.8 to 0.1
• The brain likes a consistent wake-up time over a consistent bedtime, so consider what time you wake up and work backward.
• If you have irregular sleep schedules because of work obligations, focus on light exposure to help you sleep and be awake when you want
• Even the dim light and the night-time settings you can engage on your screen are not significant when reducing the impact on sleep.
• The more we engage with screens, the less we sit down with our minds and are mindful of our thoughts.
• Compressing your sleep makes things that you have to do more difficult and takes longer to achieve

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Connect with Us

Dr. Ryan Stegink

Website: https://www.medededwell.com

Get Coaching with Dr. Stegink: https://www.chartingmastery.net

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Dr. Audrey Wells

Individual coaching re: sleep coaching, productivity: https://www.bossmythoughts.com/

CPAP/sleep apnea patients: https://www.supersleepmd.com/

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