Sleep quality and mental health
There are many studies out there that show links between mental health and sleep. Poor sleep will leave you feeling deflated, unmotivated, zoned out, unfocused, anxious and in severe cases even depressed.
Sleep deprivation can noticeably affect your mood, and that’s where the phrase “woke up on the wrong side of the bed” comes into play.
Depression and Anxiety historically saw sleeping problems as a symptom of these mental health issues, but recent studies suggest that lack of good quality sleep can actually contribute or induce depression and/or anxiety. Poor sleep quality most definitely worsens depression and anxiety which in turn further interrupts sleep, so it can become a vicious cycle. So prioritising a good quality sleep can help in breaking that cycle and assist with overall mental health.
Those diagnosed with bipolar disorder can be heavily impacted by poor quality sleep. During manic periods, they might feel that they need less sleep, and then during depressed or low periods, they might sleep excessively. Not getting quality sleep can worsen the manic and depressive or low periods. Often treatment for insomnia can help reduce the impact of bipolar disorder.
Here are some tips on improving your sleeping habits;
- Maintaining a set bedtime or sleep schedule
- Avoid caffeine in the hours before bedtime
- Avoid screen time before bedtime
- Avoid eating too late or too close to bedtime
- Keep fluid intake to a minimum 2 hours before bedtime
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day
- And most importantly, ensure you have a good quality mattress
Don’t ignore the signs of fatigue after a solid 7-8 hours sleep, it could be a number of factors including sleep quality that negatively affect your mental health.
