4 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Managing Your Sleep and Mental Health
Are restless thoughts keeping you up at night? Or, is a lack of sleep causing you anxiety? The link between sleep and mental health is undeniable. So if you are having issues with one, improving the other may just be the best solution. These sleep boosting tips can help.
Don’t Let Chronic Pain Keep You Awake
If you suffer from chronic pain, poor sleep will exacerbate your symptoms, which can significantly impact mental wellness. You can lay the foundation for a good night's sleep with the right mattress, especially if back pain is your main source of discomfort. A new mattress will be an investment, but the overall health benefits are worth it. Before you start shopping, identify your sleep style to help you make the right choice. For example, lower back pain typically requires a firmer bed, and the soft-but-firm comfort provided by Purple is a good option for side sleepers. Upper back pain benefits from more pressure relief, and models like the Casper Wave can provide the ideal amount of support.
The relationship between chronic pain and sleep is usually cyclical. So in addition to replacing your mattress, look for other ways to reduce discomfort. By modifying your daily routine through yoga and exercise, you can lessen pain symptoms, manage stress, improve your mental health, and enhance your sleep quality, all of which can improve your quality of life.
Don’t Rely on Prescription or OTC Sleep Aids
Lack of sleep can lead to increased feelings of anxiety, depression and stress, in addition to feelings of desperation. Turning to sleep aids for relief, however, may worsen these symptoms and can even lead to other severe health consequences. OTC sleep aids, which include Benadryl and other forms of diphenhydramine, may seem like a harmless way to help your brain and body drift off to sleep, but frequent use can cause confusion, constipation and may even be linked to an increased risk of dementia in older adults. Prescription drugs can come with side effects as well, which often include hallucinations, headaches, and dizziness. These impacts on your mental and physical well-being simply aren’t worth any short-term relief, so try to find more natural sleep remedies (melatonin, anyone?) instead.
Don’t Let Your Nightly Habits Rob You of Sleep
While natural sleep aids like melatonin can help remedy random bouts of restlessness, one of the best cures for chronic sleep problems is making changes to your nightly routine. Some of the most common sleep-disrupting habits include consuming too many liquids before bed, eating problematic foods late in the evening, and relying on alcohol as a form of nightly relaxation. The latter may seem like a sound way to improve your sleep, but you are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night when you frequently consume wine or other alcoholic beverages before bedtime. So try cutting back on those drinks to see if that helps your sleep quality. Some studies also suggest that reducing alcohol consumption can help improve mental health, especially for women, so there may be some added benefits of avoiding alcohol. Less stress, more sleep, and a longer life have all been reported by those living a sober lifestyle.
Don’t Let Your Mental Health Affect Your Sleep
Managing your mental health requires adequate sleep; however, as mentioned above, sleep and mental health can also have a cyclical relationship that makes managing both more difficult for those with mental health issues. While research shows that emotional reactions can be worsened with frequent loss of sleep, the same research also demonstrated that the root causes of emotional and mental health issues can cause sleeplessness. The key, according to experts, in resolving this two-way cycle is to determine which lane seems more congested. So if you are overcome with anxiety or depression in other aspects of your life, seeking out counseling should be your first step. If, however, sleeplessness is causing these feelings, finding ways to improve your sleep may be the better first move, although taking parallel measures can definitely help as well.
When you are not getting enough sleep, your health begins to suffer. This includes your mental health, so if you find yourself suddenly plagued by feelings of depression, confusion, or anxiety, lack of sleep may be to blame. Make the changes needed to preserve your sleep quality and manage your mental health, and take back control of your life.
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