Sleep and mental health are both important to address if you’re struggling with issues with either. If you’re struggling to get enough sleep and also struggle with mental health issues, it’s important to learn how to get a healthy amount of sleep every night. When you don’t get enough sleep, it makes it harder to live a life of mental and physical well-being. Poor sleep quality can actually make symptoms of mental health issues worse. But, on the other hand, symptoms of mental health can make getting a healthy amount of sleep a challenge. Fortunately, learning more about how you can work towards changing your sleeping habits can help you to establish a healthy sleep schedule and get the healthy amount of sleep you need.

Negative Effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep

No one always gets enough sleep. Whether it’s due to excitement, stress, or something a person ate, it’s normal not to get enough sleep every now and then. However, it’s important to have a sleep routine in place so that you can actively attempt to get enough sleep on a regular basis. Sleep is vital for health. Without enough sleep, you may start to notice some unwanted side effects in your life including:

• trouble with mood management
• anger/irritability
• anxiety
• depression
• trouble managing appetite
• issues with focusing
• impaired immune system
• memory issues
• exhaustion

Experiencing some or even all of these symptoms of sleep deprivation can be debilitating to daily life. But, not being able to get enough sleep isn’t something that should be considered normal. While it’s typical to not get enough sleep due to emotions and situations that you can’t control, it’s not normal not getting enough sleep every night on a constant basis.

Why Sleep is Important for Mental Wellbeing

Sleep is important for everyone. But, good sleep is even more important for people living with mental health issues. Sleep issues are common for people living with mental health issues and can even be a symptom of living with a mental health issue. However, not getting enough sleep can actually make mental health issues worse as they can exacerbate symptoms of mental health issues. Some of the issues that people living with these issues may face surrounding sleep can include:

• not being able to fall asleep
• not being able to stay asleep
• sleeping too much too often

Some Tips for Getting Better Sleep for Your Mental Health

There are some things that people who are living with the symptoms of mental health issues can actively do to attempt to get better quality sleep. Some of these tips include:

Sticking to a Sleep Routine: We are creatures of habit. So, making a routine for sleep can help our minds and bodies wind down because they’ll slowly adjust to doing the same thing every day. Setting a sleep routine may mean sticking to a time every night to designate getting ready for bed and a bedtime to stick to each night.

Making Your Sleep Environment Comfortable: When we are relaxed and feel safe, our bodies and minds are more likely to let us rest. Work on making your sleep environment feel safer and more comfortable by getting comfortable sheets and pillows, setting up a fan or heater, dimming the lights, and doing whatever it takes to make your sleeping space feel like a place of peace.

Don’t Do Anything In Your Bed But Sleep: Our minds automatically associate specific places with activities. So, it’s important to designate your bed for sleeping. Refrain from laying in your bed and scrolling through your phone, working from your bed, or watching TV from your bed. Rather, only get in your bed if it’s time to sleep. This way, your body and mind associate your bed with sleep – and nothing else.

Getting Help for Sleep and Mental Health

Do you feel that your sleep is being impacted by your mental health? If using these tips is unsuccessful and you’re still not getting the healthy amount of sleep you need, help is available. You may be living with a sleep disorder and need professional assistance. Delray Center for Integrative Healing offers mental health assistance for people struggling with mental health issues, including sleep issues.