Correct me if I am wrong, but we spend A LOT of time and sometimes money too, researching, reading, talking about factors affecting our mental health. Now I am not saying we do enough for our mental health, but we do spend time doing stuff.
But. The million-dollar question… cue the drum roll, please…
Do we sleep for our mental health?
Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health. Read that again.
Last year WHOOP (an organisation with an app and strap that basically collects physiological data 24/7 to provide the most accurate and granular understanding of your body… a magnificent tool, but that’s for another time) collaborated with leading scientists at Harvard, Austin Health, and Australia’s Monash University to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their members’ physical and mental health.
Their research revelations were rather outstanding:
Those who slept sufficiently before the pandemic were less likely to experience a mental health decline, even if they slept less during the pandemic.
And they weren’t just talking about getting enough sleep. They also found that sleep consistency (going to bed and waking up at similar times each day) was a better predictor of mental health resilience during the pandemic than sleep duration.
What are you doing to improve your sleep? If you check back on my first blog; COVID Claustrophobia, you will see that I included some points about the importance of sticking to a schedule. The same could be said for sleep. Going to sleep at similar times each night means waking up at similar times due to a predictable sleep cycle. The body does well with predictability and especially good habits that allow our brains to create neurological cravings where certain good behavior is rewarded by the release of “pleasure” chemicals in the brain. Imagine that?
Mindfulness meditation or even better, guided meditation can be super helpful. There are various different apps available that you can download to your phone with different themes and timings so you can choose the one that best works for you.
When we talk stimulants, we all know about them, but let me remind you… coffee, phones, long naps during the day, and late meals don’t exactly set the scene for optimal sleep. Just be aware of how your body reacts to these and what it needs (or doesn’t) before you turn in for the day.
We don’t sleep because we need the sleep. We sleep so that we can be awake… and live, and laugh, and work, and connect, and all those wonderful things.
So, get sleeping… sufficiently, sustainably, and soundly.
Abby
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