Brookhaven Hospital: Mental Health Treatment for Behavioral Health Problems, Chemical Dependency, Eating Disorders, Brain Injuries, and Renewal Christian Treatment and Recovery

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 8:41 PM
posted by Chris R. Giles, LMFT

Do You Get Enough Sleep?

I love to sleep. Just ask anyone in my family. It usually doesn't take long for me to find dream land. But I noticed long ago that when I do not get enough sleep, I just don't feel right. I realized this long before college but was brutally reminded many times during those years and the year following fatherhood.

Mental health professionals have long touted the importance of balanced sleep in minimizing the occurance and effects of certain mental illnesses. I have noticed that the majority of the people that I see in my office for clinical depression, anxiety and a number of other issues either sleep too much or do not get enough sleep.

I found an article that offers straight forward information regarding the importance of balanced sleep. There are a lot more articles and web pages with more scientific data supporting the importance of sleep, but this article offers simple, basic information.

In the article, the author quotes the authors of a book called Painfully Shy who write: "For people prone to social anxiety, adequate sleep is crucial. It can mean the difference between thinking about an issue realistically and becoming needlessly upset over something that's not really important. In other words, when you're overly tired, you're more likely to misread social situations and interpret them negatively."

This is true not only for Social anxiety, but any other anxiety issue, as well as depression and a multitude of other mental health issues.

To read the entire article, go to Sleep Is Not for Sissies
link to this post

Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D., Diplomate ABDA, is the Chief Executive Office at Brookhaven Hospital and the Vice President of Rehabilitation Institutes of America. Dr. Gainer has been involved in the design and operation of treatment programs since 1977.

Stephen Harnish, MD is the Medical Director of Brookhaven Hospital. Dr. Harnish is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is well known in Oklahoma for his informative radio and television appearances.

Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors and clergy.

Sarah McGee, BA, serves as the Community Education Provider for Brookhaven Hospital. She provides information on mental health and drug and alcohol treatment to healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

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