Sleep & Mental Health

​Did you know we can only go 36 hours without sleep before it starts to have drastic effects on our functionality as a human?  Sleep is very important for us, yet something that we often neglect.

We need sleep

​When we sleep our brain and our body do amazing things.

​Brain

​Our brains process the day that we’ve just had.  it organises our memories and shuffle things around from short-term to long-term based on what we might need.

Body

​During sleep our body doesn’t need to function at the same level as when we’re awake because we are resting.  Therefore, it can help to repair any damage done.  When we sleep we can recover from illnesses and other ailments quicker than trying to stay awake.

If we don't sleep...

​We need a certain amount of sleep each night for us to be at our best for the day ahead.  This changes with age:

​If we don’t get enough sleep then it can have a bad effect on how we perceive ourselves and the world around us.

Anxiety

Sleep is a natural stress reliever.  It can be hard to get to sleep when we’re stressed (keep reading for tips on how to get to sleep), but deep sleep helps to clear out cortisol (the stress hormone).

​Recent studies have also shown that if we get less than 6hrs sleep a night then it increases our anxiety levels by 30%!  That’s a lot more anxiety to be carrying around with us.

Depression

A lack of sleep does not allow our brain to regulate moods efficiently.  The knock-on effect of this is that we can easily find ourselves becoming depressed quicker and easier.

Obesity

There have been studies carried out on adults and kids that show a lack of sleep leads to weight gain.  When we sleep it balances or hormones that help us feel hungry and full.

There could easily be a domino effect because obesity can also cause increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.  All of which is linked to our sleep!

Reprogramming

​As humans we are built with natural rhythms.  Often we are good at enforcing that on kids because we see the importance of it.  When we get to adulthood we lose this because we can do whatever we want.  Whilst we can do anything we want it doesn’t mean that everything is good for us.  So think about the sleep rhythms you keep.  If you feel they might not be the best, we can always change our rhythm.

Bedtime routine

​This is one of those things that are often given to kids but we don’t do as an adult.  But in making a bedtime routine it helps our brain to adjust so it knows we are getting ready for bed.  Whatever it looks like for you think about what you do before you go to bed.

Screens

​It’s recommended that any shows/movies we’re watching we finish at least 30mins before we go to bed.  That gives our brain the chance to absorb what we’ve been watching without it keeping us awake.

​Not all screen use is bad and we use them for so much, it’s what we use them for.  If we’re using it to read or play a game that activates our brain but doesn’t stimulate us visually then that’s ok.  For example, it’s ok to read a book on an e-reader or do a crossword but it’s not great to be scrolling through social media or playing other games that have lots of visual effects.

Food

​Think about the drink you have or don’t have.  Is your body ok with a coffee after dinner?  Would a glass of warm milk help?

Eating a large meal before going to bed might not be helpful either due to the way our body breaks down what’s in the food.  Try experimenting with dinner at lunch time and then something light in the evening if that fits with how life operates.

Napping

It can be argued that the optimum nap time is between 10-20 minutes**.  I’m not quite sure how that’s measured or how you can set a timer from when you fall asleep so you get this exactly.  But apparently this is good.

​If you’re tired it’s ok to nap.  This can really help us as we head into the rest of the day.  It doesn’t give us an excuse to get less sleep at night but sometimes it’s a necessity or it’s the occasional time when we’ve not slept well.

​A 20 minute nap could even be factored into a lunch break!

Exercise

​There are so many benefits to doing a bit of exercise (another topic for another day) and sleep is one of them.  It doesn’t have to be much and whatever ability we have most of us can manage something.  But doing something helps to use up the energy in our bodies so that we are more naturally and physically tired when it comes to the end of the day.

​With all that said I’m off to bed.

Goodnight

​*for more details go to How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? | Sleep Foundation
**How Long to Nap: Ideal Nap Lengths for the Perfect Shut-eye (scienceofpeople.com