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How important is sleep?

If you are physically run down from lack of sleep, you are more susceptible to getting sick. With IBD, your body is already compromised, so lack of sleep compounds your health even more.
 

kiny

Well-known member
I would say very from experience, a lot of things will go wrong if you don't allow the body to go into deep sleep every night to recover. Nothing wrong with sleeping a lot more than you used to if you have crohn's disease, if you don't have the time, make the time, I feel so much better if I sleep enough.
 
In my experience, little else comes close. I noticed this when at a previous job. Whenever I had night shifts, I noticed my error rate rose dramatically and my general health really took nose dives. This surfaced again with the birth of my daughter. I ended up really anemic for a three year period, and only started to recover when she started sleeping through the night. Take care of your sleep!
 

Crohn's Mom

Moderator
In my opinion, it is extremely vital to your health.
That being said, my daughter has issues with insomnia.
She informed her GI of this and he has set her up with a sleep disorder study to be done, because he feels that her lack of sleep could be contributing to her lack of remission.
 

annawato

Moderator
Staff member
Not that I know of other than that sleep helps the body heal so maybe stops crohn's getting worse. i guess if your body is not in tip top shape from getting enough sleep you may be prone to all sorts of things including crohn's - but I'm just guessing. :)
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
It is absolutely important and a key factor in the body's healing process.

When you are resting, your body is taking all that energy it would have used moving about performing activities and putting it towards repairing itself instead.
 

rygon

Moderator
Try and stay up for 24hrs or more, its hard. You will start seeing things, your mind doesnt work as fast or as well. There has been many tests that shows that sleep is needed.

But too much sleep is pretty bad as well. If you are depressed, or have no goals for that day you will find you will stay in bed more, and this is also bad

Personally I find the balance hard (and I havent got it yet) but its definitely personal
 
I'm not sure whether sleep directly influences Crohn's, but I know Crohn's symptoms can interfere with sleep.

Sleep is incredibly important to me. I've needed so much more of it since becoming ill. When I've not had enough I can't function at all. Sometimes I feel all wrong mentally and can't think straight, and then I'll end up napping for an hour or so and wake up feeling so much better. When I suffered a period of insomnia I felt wore than almost any other time, and getting back to sleeping again is something I'll never stop appreciating! I take my sleep very seriously!
 
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