Sleep and mental health are directly related. Sleep is essential for mental health as it helps the brain with mood regulation, focus, cognition, and more. Lack of quality sleep can bring about both mental and physical symptoms that can make performing daily tasks more challenging and can make maintaining mental well-being more difficult. Many people, specifically people struggling with mental health issues, find it hard to get a good night’s rest. So, identifying things you can do to get better quality sleep is essential for mental health.
Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks you can learn if you’re not finding yourself getting the best sleep. Using these tips can help you learn how to set up a sleep routine that works for you in order to get the most and highest quality sleep you can. Some tips for getting better sleep include:
Setting a Schedule for Sleeping and Waking Hours
Setting a schedule for sleep can help you keep a routine that allows your body to better understand when sleeping and waking hours are. Sleeping at different times of the day and night can interfere with your circadian rhythm, which is an alignment of sleep and wake times that are associated with day and night. So, when you continuously go to bed at night and get up in the day, your body will associate those times with sleeping and waking and it will be easier to go to sleep and get up. Setting a sleep schedule can include going to bed at a certain time every night and getting up at the same time every morning. To help set a schedule, you can set alarms an hour or half hour before bedtime so that you can begin to wind down and get ready for bed. You can also set an alarm to wake up every morning and, since you’ll be getting enough sleep, it will be easier to wake.
Find Relaxation Strategies That Work for You
Everyone winds down in their own way. Finding a way to relax before bedtime can help your brain and body get ready for sleep. Relaxation plays a big part in slowing down your mind and body so that it can get the sleep it needs. So, if you’re struggling with sleep issues, it can be helpful to find relaxation techniques that work for you. Some suggestions include meditation, yoga, bubble baths, and reading.
Get Your Exercise On
Exercise has a number of mental health benefits as it can help to manage and reduce stress levels and even help with mood management. But, along with mental health benefits, it can also help with sleep. Regular exercise can help promote sleep by stimulating the release of hormones that can help you fall asleep. And, it can tire the body out, making it more easy to fall and stay asleep.
Avoid Caffeine Before Bed
Caffeine is a legal substance that is put into a number of drinks like teas, sodas, and coffees that stimulate the brain to be more awake. So, if you consume caffeine it can be helpful to your sleep schedule to steer clear of it a few hours before bedtime. While we all like our morning cup of coffee, try skipping that afternoon cup so that you can wind down a bit earlier.
Sleep and Mental Health – Consider CBT Protocol for Sleep Disturbance
Some people have trouble sleeping no matter what type of tips they utilize. Fortunately, there is still hope for getting good sleep with techniques like CBT for sleep disturbance. CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, is a tool that involves one-on-one counseling sessions to determine emotions and thought patterns that lead to unwanted behaviors (including sleep). CBT for sleep can help people who are struggling with sleep disorders identify coping strategies for emotions and intrusive thought patterns that are keeping them from getting healthy amounts of sleep.
Synchrony Brain Health offers CBT protocol for sleep disturbances on an outpatient basis at our Evanston, IL location. Find out more about this service right on our website.
