Resources to Solve Your Sleep Problems and Boost Your Mental Health
If you struggle with insomnia and other sleep issues, you may already be well aware of the impacts on your mental health. After a night of tossing and turning, you’re not likely to feel like yourself. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress may seem more intense, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your emotional well-being and sleep.
When chronic pain is keeping you up, joining an exercise club like Cheltenham Running and Walking Club can help with your fitness so you can get the sleep you need. You can also use these resources to enhance your sleep hygiene, soothe your mind, and relax your body for better sleep at night.
Quieting Your Mind
Does your mind race and keep you from falling asleep at night? Having these restless thoughts as soon as your head hits the pillow can be frustrating but there are a few tricks you can try.
Put those thoughts on paper! Psychology Today notes studies that show that journaling for a few minutes before your usual bedtime can be an effective way to calm your mind and fall asleep faster.
Counting sheep may not help, but it turns out that counting backward just might. Any exercise or tactic that refocuses your brain on a mundane task should also work.
Would listening to celebs like Matthew McConaughey’s relaxing stories help you get to sleep? Then you should look into the top sleep apps.
Picking up a Bluetooth speaker to keep on your nightstand is a perfect way to amplify those sleep stories and relaxing sounds. Consider it an investment in your health.
Staying Asleep
Okay, so maybe you’ve used one of the tricks above to fall asleep. But you’re still waking up in the middle of the night and staying awake for hours. Thankfully, there are solutions for this, too.
Experts confirm that regular exercise promotes deep sleep. Many people choose aerobic exercise, but choose the type of workout you enjoy most, like walking or running.
Could your cannabis products be waking you up? While the benefits of cannabis for relaxation and sleep are clear, how and when you use these products is so important.
Other things you eat or drink before bed can also make it harder for you to stay asleep throughout the night. Culprits include alcohol, red meat, and of course caffeine.
Catching up on emails while you have a glass of wine before bed? Then you could be doing double the amount of damage to your sleep. Screens and bedtime do not mix.
Teeth “grinding” and sleep apnea -- two big sleep interrupters -- are signs that your teeth are out of alignment. Check into at-home teeth aligners like SmileDirectClub, which are made from your bite impression taken at one of the 20 SmileShops located throughout the U.K.
Caring for Your Mental Health
The connection between your mental health and your sleep quality runs deep, so improving your sleep is the first step in improving your well-being. Practicing self-care can also be helpful.
Recent research has concluded that poor sleep patterns and quality can not only worsen mental health issues but it can also cause them, including instances of depression.
At the same time, living with mental illness can also make it much harder to get the sleep you need. You can break this cycle by making more time for wellness-boosting self-care.
Relaxation practices, including meditation and yoga, can help you wind down before bedtime, but these self-care habits can also have positive impacts on mental health.
Cognitive behavioural therapy can be another effective treatment for sleep problems, and engaging in routine therapy sessions can improve your mental health, as well.
Sleep and your mental health — the connections are clear and undeniable. If you want to take better care of your mental health, you need to make sure you get quality sleep at night. Then again, if you want to get enough rest, you need to take better care of your mental health. Hopefully, this resource guide will help you do both!