It is never easy to lose. But grief does not have to be due to loss of a person. Grief can exist from a divorce, from a broken relationship, job loss, or from a medical condition deemed terminal. And it can stimulate and compound the loss over time causing lack of sleep that leads to additional social, physical, emotional, and mental issues.
In short, if not taken care of through an experienced physician, grief can take over your life.
Grief is the normal internal feeling one experiences in reaction to a loss, while bereavement is the state of experiencing that loss. Research shows 40 percent of bereaved individuals will suffer from an anxiety disorder in the first year after the death of a loved one. The grief can be so intense for some elderly individuals that a 70 percent increase in death risk occurs six months after their spouse’s death. The stress is too intense for their body to continue.
Grief is an inevitable part of life. Over 2.5 million people die in the U.S. each year and more than 60 million worldwide. For each person who dies, an average of five close friends and family members are left behind to grieve their death.
While grief is a universal experience, the way grief is processed is unique to each individual. The grieving process takes time, and it looks different for each person. However, one of the most common complaints of the bereaved is trouble sleeping. Mental health and sleep are closely connected, and the painful toll of losing a loved one can wreak havoc on both.
On a cognitive level, sleep deprivation impacts the brain’s ability to process memories and make sound judgments, so the individual becomes more forgetful, less able to retain learnings from the day, and more likely to behave rashly or make poor decisions.
Emotionally, the individual has a tougher time balancing their mood, and is prone to produce higher levels of stress hormones, resulting in increased anxiety and poor outlook.
Physically, an individual’s immune system is compromised with little sleep making them more likely to get sick. Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Triggering events can create a delay in the acceptance process. Father’s Day, Christmas, a movie, or a song can trigger a memory causing additional grief. For those who experienced a loved one’s death due to a violent situation, sleep can be disrupted with nightmares or night terrors. The trauma is relived through the dream as if the event is happening again to them or imagining the event happening to them.
However, routines can help bring you to a place through the grief process where quality sleep can be achieved through six simple acts recommended via Mindfulness and Grief.
