Originally posted 12/1/2020
Welcome back to another mental health Monday (posting on Tuesday—sorry for the delay!). Today’s topic is sleep. Sleep and mental health go hand in hand. When our mental state struggles, our sleep patterns also struggle. Sometimes that means not getting enough sleep, and sometimes it means sleeping too much. I have most certainly seen both sides of the coin on sleep. I struggle to go to sleep, stay asleep and sleep restfully when I have a lot of stress at work, concerns with my kids/household/ finances, or am processing through a tough decision. This is very different than the nights that I way up with someone on my mind to take time to pray for—that happens in my world as well, but it is a much more peaceful time of awake than the stewing and stressing I do when I’m anxious about something and struggling to put it away for the night. Those nights are tough. Any sleep I do get feels like a hard-fought battle that leaves me even more tired than when I went to bed.
The flip side to that is the times when sleeping is the only thing I am motivated to do. As I have gone through times of depression in my past, I have learned that the greatest gift I can give myself is to get up and get dressed. In a year of working from home more than ever before, that might mean going from my night pajamas to my day pajamas, but changing clothes is important to my frame of mind. I have learned that staying in bed brings more staying in bed, which very quickly becomes tough for me to motivate myself out of. And, if I am honest, the sleep I get when I enter those times isn’t any better than the sleep when I’m stressed. It is just a lot more lying in bed.
Healthy sleep patterns and sleep routines are crucial to our overall wellbeing, both mentally and physically. Sleep rests our body and mind, rejuvenates our organs and muscles, and gives our multiple, complex systems a chance to grow and strengthen. It is a time when we are out of our own way so our body can do what it needs to do. Our coping skills, immune system, and overall sense of self all benefit from appropriate sleep. Though anyone who knows me well has heard me say that I will sleep when I’m dead because there aren’t enough hours in the day, this couldn’t be further from the truth for my physical and mental health.
In a world of constant input, it is often hard to wind down and get to bed with enough time to get the appropriate amount of sleep. As with other habits, it takes having a plan and being intentional about sticking with it. What that looks like is different for each person. I like to take time to read before I go to bed, sometimes sipping on a cup of tea, sometimes journaling a little bit. Having a time of quiet helps me to fall asleep faster once I am in bed. Experts say that rigorous exercise isn’t a great idea right before bed, but the slow stretching and intentional breathing of an evening yoga routine can be a great way to end the day. Some people enjoy relaxing in a bath to wind down. There are so many options—and different days can end different ways. As long as the activity is calming and doesn’t add stress, it can be a part of the winding down routine. What is important is building the habit to build toward great sleep.
Thanks for reading! 😊 EW