Me: “I’m just going to watch porn before bed to release tension so I can sleep.”
Three hours later… 😐
This happens all too often… we try and medicate the immediate need (destress, release tension) and then suffer the night without restful sleep.
There are two main reasons why watching pornography messes with your ability to sleep, one is physiological, the other is psychological.
The Physiological Reason For Porn-Induced Insomnia
Insomnia is one of the common symptoms of a pornography addiction. From the physiology (physical) side, we need to consider these three brain chemicals and how they physically disrupt us from sleeping.
Chemicals Released During Pornography And Masturbation That Affect Sleep And Brain Function
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Dopamine release from pornography and masturbation keeps the brain in a state of hyperarousal, making it difficult to fall asleep.
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Oxytocin, the “neurochemical of love, lust, and labor,” is released, inducing pleasure and relaxation, further reinforcing the brain’s reliance on pornography and masturbation for relaxation.
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Prolactin, a neural chemical that regulates the body’s hormone balance, relaxes muscles, inducing sleepiness, creating a cycle where the brain relies on pornography and masturbation to prepare for sleep, ultimately disrupting natural sleep patterns and harming overall brain function.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
After your dopamine spikes from release, it crashes below baseline… Now, you start feeling guilt, shame, emptiness, and defeat…
THEN your cortisol, our stress-response hormone, spikes, sending a stress response through your body, making you restless… (Been there? So have we.)
The physiological processes of dopamine, oxytocin, and prolactin play a significant role in porn-induced insomnia, but understanding the psychological reasons behind this is equally crucial.
So now that you know the physiology…
Here’s the psychology… 👇
The Psychological Reason For Porn-Induced Insomnia
Now (we have to say it), it’s important to understand that Christians and God-believers adhere to a different set of principles than the secular world.
For example, we’ve met lost men who felt proud of their “girl” being a stripper… For men like us (if you’re still reading), that would make us feel stressed to the max.
Get it?
I clarify that because there are articles claiming that porn reduces cortisol, and it may for guys like the ones who want to date strippers…
For Christians, here’s what happens.
Porn doesn’t reduce stress. 🚨
It seemingly does momentarily, but really, it’s just briefly distracting you from reality. We both have experienced the feelings of stress and anxiety flooding back in after we are finished with the distraction…
Let’s dive a little deeper into the psychology…
Understanding The Psychology Behind Our Actions
Why do we do the things we do? (Follow me here.)
We do things because we “feel” like it…
We “feel” a certain way because of our thoughts.
And we “think” things because of our beliefs.
So,
Beliefs > Thoughts > Feelings > Actions
You watched porn before bed because you “believed” it would help you sleep…
And we just discovered that your belief was a lie that was keeping you stuck.
Here’s the biggest lie keeping men stuck:
“I’m going to figure this out with just me and God, and I don’t need to open up and get help… I got this.”
That lie keeps men bounds for years, decades, and all for unnecessary prideful arrogance… (Unchained Leader is here to be a source of truth and say the things that no one else is willing to tell you).
The enemy is the king of lies… God is the king of truth…
So, what does God say about this?
James 5:16 (truth) “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
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There is hope amidst the struggle. By confronting the addiction head-on and embarking on the journey of self-mastery, we can reclaim control over our lives and step into our true potential and leadership.
For all of us, there has to be a moment where we decide to draw a line in the sand and stop running from emotions.
At Unchained Leader, we have helped 2,300+ men and women permanently break free from the chains of pornography and sexual addiction.
They truly believed that they would have been in the resist-fail cycle forever until they started confronting the ROOT problems, facing them with courage and humility, and dealing with them.
Everyone’s journey started by first watching our Mini-Documentary: The Art Of Freedom where we break down exactly why previous attempts at freedom haven’t worked and what you need to do today to start your journey to freedom.
If you’re interested in learning exactly how we’ve been able to help thousands of others step into freedom and purpose, set aside the next 60min. to watch The Art Of Freedom.
After watching the video, you’ll have the opportunity to submit an Application to our program, the 90-Days To Freedom.
