Sleep Your Way to Better Mental Health
By Ashley P. Evans
Lack of proper sleep negatively impacts your mental AND physical health. Sleep deficiency can exacerbate an existing mental illness and/or it can trigger a mental illness such as psychosis. Some people lay in bed and they’re asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Others, lay in bed for hours, anxiously counting sheep and hoping that they will get enough sleep to function the next day. According to the CDC, “Over 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems” (2017). For these individuals, sleep, or the lack thereof, contributes to a poor quality of health that may be riddled with exacerbations or development of mental illness, chronic diseases, and/or physical injuries.
How many hours of sleep do I need?
Many people who are the same age require a different number of hours for sleep to function at their fullest capacity. Though we are all different, the fact remains that there is still a recommended number of hours of sleep based on one’s age. The chart below represents a great starting point, but please know some can require more or less than what is stated below and still function at a relatively high level, all things considered.
According to The National Sleep Foundation, the recommended number of hours of sleep per night is as follows:
4-12 months 12-16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
1-2 years old 11-14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
3-5 years old 10-13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
6-12 years old 9-12 hours per 24 hours
13-18 years old 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
18 & Older 7 or more hours of sleep per night
The Sleep-Deprived Brain
While you are asleep, the brain is busy repairing itself and becoming more efficient. The brain also reorganizes and recharges as you rest. Additionally, it removes toxic waste built up throughout the day. So, getting too little sleep can impact the brain’s ability to even function properly. As a result of having a sleep-deprived brain, you are at risk for developing irritability, anger, depression, difficulty concentrating, headaches, decreased alertness, fatigue, anxiety, heart attack, stroke and so much more. And to answer that question looming in your head — yes, sleep deprivation not only can affect adults, but it can affect children as well which typically presents itself as an influx of negative emotions and issues in learning. In fact, children are often misdiagnosed with ADHD or autism when sleep deprivation is really the culprit. This represents another reason why it is imperative to create a consistent sleep hygiene routine for yourself and your children as you are modeling the behavior you want them to develop.
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Think about those healthy habits for hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infection. What comes to mind? It should be a list of simple steps such as wet hands with water, pump soap in hands, lather soap on hands by rubbing together and going between fingers as you sing or hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice, then rinse and dry your hands.
Similar steps should come to mind for sleep hygiene to support mental wellness. Some of these steps may include, but not be limited to, establishing a nighttime schedule consisting of setting a sleep schedule (asleep by X time & wake up by X time), making your bedroom an oasis where you want to go rest, abstaining from electronic devices by X time, etc. It can be difficult to set these hard fast rules, but you must remember that not getting enough rest effects your entire life but establishing a sleep hygiene routine is a very easy way to positively impact your mental and physical health while utilizing very little energy to do so.
How can I get better sleep?
There are many habits that can improve your sleep health such as the following:
Set a dinner time between 4 and 6 pm to ensure you avoid large meals before bedtime.
Go for a walk as doing so may help you fall asleep more easily.
Bright lights are stimulating to the brain, so make sure your bedroom is dark and relaxing. Also, ensure that it’s not too warm in your room as it will lead to discomfort and impede your attempts to rest.
DO NOT go to bed with electronic devices. This includes TVs, computers, and smartphones. If you need an activity to help relax you, go for a nice book instead.
Try going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning, so your body can become accustomed to this routine.
Create your sleep hygiene routine right away, so you can sleep your way to better mental health and wellness starting TOMORROW!
As a BONUS, we’ve created a Sleep Hygiene Tip Sheet as a convenient reference guide for you to refer to you and use to start building your own unique sleep hygiene routine.
If you would like a copy, please subscribe to our newsletter below.
Goodbye Sheep!
Get your Zzzzzzzz!!!!!
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2017. Sleep and Sleep Disorders. CDC - About Our Program - Sleep and Sleep Disorders
Guest Blog Article was written by Ashley P. Evans.
Ashley is a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and serial entrepreneur. She specializes in treating mental health professionals that have mood disorders in her Texas-based private practice, PsychLife Mental Wellness. Ashley also has an apparel/gift company, PsychLife Tee Co., that uses fashion activism to demonstrate support for those suffering in silence AND those working in the mental health space that feel unseen. Feel free to connect with Ashley’s daily mental health content on LinkedIn.
