Sleep plays a very important role in our physical and mental wellbeing. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a few ways sleep can impact your mental wellbeing, and hopefully give you a better understanding of the vital role it plays in every aspect of our lives.

How Sleep Deprivation affects the brain 

For most of us, a bad night’s sleep isn’t uncommon. Due to this, most of us are also aware of how the subsequent effects of a bad night's sleep can linger with us for the whole day. Sleep deprivation makes us irritable, worsens our decision-making abilities & memory, and makes our body run less efficiently in general.

Sleep deprivation in the short term just makes day-to-day life harder, and the knock-on effects from sleep deprivation can really impact your mental health. If you find yourself experiencing anxiety or bouts of depression it’s worth taking a look at your sleep as this can be a major player in emphasising those negative feelings.

Because of these ill effects, we think it’s important to emphasise that working to improve your sleep routine and sleep hygiene should be a priority as it’s the most effective way of reducing sleep deprivation!

If you're interested in finding out more about the science behind how sleep deprivation affects the brain, check out this article from 'the sleep foundation' https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-deprivation/lack-of-sleep-and-cognitive-impairment

How Sleep reduces stress

Just as much as a lack of sleep can have negative impacts on your health, high-quality sleep can have hugely positive effects.

Whilst stress to some degree is an inevitable aspect of life, getting better sleep has proven to be effective at reducing excess stress that we could all do without!

How does good sleep hygiene reduce stress though? Well, the main way sleep can improve stress levels is its ability to decrease levels of cortisol (high levels of cortisol can increase stress levels.) Around 7-9 hours of sleep a night should keep your cortisol levels steady, helping to reduce anxiety and stress. Research has also shown that healthy sleep hygiene drastically reduces feelings of anxiety by helping your body process stress, and manage it in a healthier way. Sleeping well boosts your mood & temperament which is an all-encompassing benefit to your mental health and wellbeing.

How to sleep better with Anxiety 

Unfortunately, anxiety is a common part of many people’s lives, and this can make maintaining a good sleep routine and general sleep health tricky. Below are a few ways you can try to improve your sleep if anxiety is keeping you awake at night!

How to get better sleep?

Improve your sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene is a term used to group the habits that are necessary to get good quality sleep. These include activities like: Reducing screen time before bed, Not consuming caffeine or alcohol before sleep, and keeping your sleep routine consistent. Working to improve these elements of your sleep routine can greatly help when it comes to sleeping better with anxiety.

Try meditation

Meditation can be a great tool when it comes to reducing anxiety. You don’t need to sit and stare at the wall for hours on end, but taking a few minutes before bed to focus on your breathing and clear your head can greatly improve your chances of drifting off without stressful thoughts creeping into your head.

Give yourself time to unwind before sleep

You can’t expect your body to just switch from one state to another immediately. If moments before you decide to sleep you’re watching a thrilling film, working, or doing something else that gets your brain active you’ll likely struggle to fall asleep. Try to dedicate the time before you plan to sleep with activities that are going to help you unwind like meditation, reading, or having a bath.

If you can’t fall asleep, reset

If it’s been longer than 20 minutes and you’re lying in bed restless, it can actually help to get out of bed and try your routine again. Getting out of your bed and doing a relaxing activity can actually reduce the time it takes to go to sleep, think of it as giving your brain a second chance to unwind rather than letting the restlessness spiral.

Exercise

Although it’s not recommended to exercise before bed, exercise has been proven greatly reduce stress & anxiety. This is because of its ability to reduce the body’s production of stress hormones. Try getting some exercise in at some point during the day, and see if it reduces your stress and anxiety levels in the evening.

There are plenty of other ways you can improve your sleep, if you’re looking for more advice on how to improve your sleep health & sleep routine check out one of our older blogs that focuses on just that: https://www.brownpaperpackages.co.uk/blog/10-tips-for-a-good-nights-sleep-mental-health-and-wellbeing/