Have you ever spent all night tossing and turning, only to wake up feeling exhausted and completely discombobulated?
We’ve all been there! And unfortunately, getting a good amount of quality sleep consistently can be incredibly difficult for some.
But just how important is sleep for our mental health? The answer: essential!
Sleep plays a crucial role in regulating our emotions, so when we don’t get enough shut-eye, it’s not just physically draining but mentally taxing too. So if you’re looking to brush up on your mental wellbeing, take a look at ways to improve your sleeping habits.
How Much Sleep Do I Need For My Mental Health?
According to the National Alliance for Mental Health, adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to ensure they reap the full benefits a restful slumber can have on their mind and body.
Of course, this recommendation might not hold true for all individuals — those with little ones at home know that things can get pretty hectic when sleep is hard to come by!
Whether it’s winding down earlier in the evening or taking a power nap during lunch breaks, create a regimen that works with your lifestyle and do your best to stick with it. When your shuteye is sorted out, you’ll be ready to tackle anything life throws your way.
Will More Sleep Improve My Mental Health?
It is a question that many of us have asked ourselves at least once: will more sleep improve my mental health?
The answer might surprise you, because the link between improved mental health and more sleep may be more direct than you think!
Getting enough sleep is essential for keeping your cognitive abilities in good shape and managing stress effectively.
Poor sleep increases your chances of developing depression and anxiety, often resulting in a loss of concentration or poor judgment. Furthermore, getting less sleep interferes with the process of forming new memories and finding creative solutions when problem-solving.
3 Reasons Why Sleep Is So Crucial For Our Mental Health:
Sleep can sometimes feel like an inconvenience. We constantly find ourselves tempted to sleep in just a little later, or stay up a bit longer, but in fact, sleep is one of the greatest gifts we have when it comes to our mental health and wellbeing.
Although there are many reasons why sleeping is so important for our mental health, three key benefits stand out; maintaining an emotional balance, promoting cognitive functioning and lowering risk for depression and anxiety.
Let’s explore these a bit more:
3 Reasons Why Sleep Is So Crucial For Our Mental Health:
Sleep Helps Maintain Emotional Balance
When it comes to maintaining emotional balance, sleep plays an essential role. If you don’t get enough restorative sleep each night, your emotions can become out of whack.
You may feel irritable, have difficulty controlling your reactions, or find yourself unable to concentrate on tasks throughout the day. On the other hand, getting a good night’s rest helps us stay in control of our emotions and remain focused on what needs to be done during the day.
Sleep Promotes Cognitive Functioning
Sleep also helps promote cognitive functioning—the ability to think clearly and make decisions based on facts rather than feelings or emotions. When we don’t get enough restful sleep each night, it can lead us to make rash decisions without weighing all the facts available to us.
It also hinders our ability to think quickly and come up with creative solutions when faced with difficult problems.
When you do get enough restful sleep each night, it allows you to think more clearly and make better decisions overall.
Sleep Decreases the Risk of Depression and Anxiety:
Getting enough sleep is an essential part of maintaining a healthy mental state; research has found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety.
One explanation for this is that sleep deprivation affects the balance between two neurochemicals in the brain – serotonin and norepinephrine – which regulate our emotions as well as affect how we process information.
As such, when our serotonin and norepinephrine levels become imbalanced due to a lack of sleep, it can have a profound effect on our moods and feelings, ultimately leading to increased depression or anxiety symptoms.
without weighing all the facts available to us.
It also hinders our ability to think quickly and come up with creative solutions when faced with difficult problems.
When you do get enough restful sleep each night, it allows you to think more clearly and make better decisions overall.
Better Sleep Means a Better Mind:
Sleep can truly feel like the ultimate luxury when we constantly have so many obligations to juggle. But getting a good night’s rest is essential for our mental health and wellbeing.
Sleep helps keep us productive, energized, and emotionally stable – it truly is the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
Adequate rest also plays an important role in maintaining strong bodily immune systems, decreasing stress hormones, and managing our weight.
So don’t let fatigue get the better of you – prioritizing a full night’s sleep will pay off in both your physical and mental well-being.
To help make sure you get enough Zs each night, try setting yourself a regular bedtime routine that helps relax the body and mind before you hit the sack. Killing your screens around 30 minutes before bed can also dramatically improve your quality of slumber.
Sweet dreams!