How highly sensitive people can achieve better sleep

According to Elaine Aron’s book “The Highly Sensitive Person,” the highly sensitive characteristic, officially known as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), affects 15 to 20% of the population.

HSPs are more sensitive of nuances in their environment because of their hyperactive nervous system. Some things that might influence a Highly Sensitive Person would include loud sounds, changes in their environment, strong emotions, uncomfortable clothes, strong smells and many other thing that we would normally be relatively unaffected by. As a result, Highly Sensitive people might find it very hard to even fall asleep due to the many distractions both in the bedroom and their head.

In additions to their emotions, a Highly Sensitive Person might also be influenced by other people’s emotions due to their stronger sense of empathy.

Needless to say, there is no shortage of things that can get in the way of a Highly sensitive person’s sleep time.

Why is sleeping more important for a Highly Sensitive Person

As Highly Sensitive People seeing the world at a higher level, getting enough sleep is essential for digesting all of the information they take in during the day when they are awake.

Research has shown that people who are more sensitive have a higher level of activity in memory and mood-related regions of the brain, as a result, energy and sleep becomes significantly more important for these individuals.

How exactly then can a Highly Sensitive Person get some sleep?

Common factors harming a sensitive person’s sleep and how to avoid them

One significant factor would be the consumption of caffeine before sleep. It is a common well-known fact that Caffeine and alcohol, even if you’re not a Highly Sensitive Person, can harm your sleep.

Caffeine has been known to interrupt our sleep cycles by causing the release and synthesis of melatonin which keeps you awake at night.

According to some research, Highly Sensitive Person are even more influenced by the effect of caffeine.

The simple solution to this issue would be to avoid caffeinated drinks before bedtime or to substitute with de-caffeinated alternatives.

One other factor would be how comfortable your sleeping environment is. The condition of the sleep environment can heavily influence a Highly Sensitive Person’s ability to sleep.

As you would have guessed, a Highly Sensitive Person can become sensitive to things within the bedroom, ultimately preventing them from having a good rest.

Some simple changes would be to have comfortable pillows, pictures of loved ones or even a white noise machine in your bedroom.

Lastly, one major influence would be the blurring of boundaries in a Highly Sensitive Person’s lifestyle. As a result of being highly empathetic, a Highly Sensitive Person will often have trouble saying no and be unable to separate their personal and work life as a result. As a result, they have a harder time relaxing and processing their information at home. To resolve, Highly sensitive people must adopt a firm stance and speak to either their employers or loved ones if they need some alone time to relax their mind.