3 Ways Poor Sleep Affects Mental Health, And Remedies For It

Insomnia is a common problem when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. If sleep experts and researchers are to be believed, insomnia affects approximately 33% of the world’s population. Even if someone doesn’t have chronic insomnia, they can still struggle with excessive sleep problems.

With only a third of adults in the U.S. suffering from sleep problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s important to get the recommended amount of sleep each night. Therefore, it’s imperative that readers learn about the 3 major factors that you might have trouble sleeping, and some great tips on how to improve your sleep.

3 Causes Of Poor Sleep

• Stress

“Often the most common factor of insomnia, stress can take a lot out of your sleep time,” says Calvin Dunne, a health writer at Essay roo and Paper Fellows. “If you’ve been stressed during the day, chances are, you’ll find yourself tossing and turning at night.”

Poor sleep patterns are a direct result of the following:

• Mood changes
• Increased irritability and anger
• Stressful situation
• -Constant worrying

So, it’s safe to say that the more stressed you are, the less likely you’ll be able to sleep at night.

• Anxiety

As with many other psychological conditions, sleep and anxiety go hand-in-hand. Like stress, people who suffer from anxiety tend to experience sleep disturbances. Plus, sleep deprivation can lead to more anxiety during the day. And, if left untreated, symptoms can get worse, and sleep problems will be prolonged.

• Depression

In addition to stress and anxiety, they can both lead to bouts of depression, which can also affect your sleep. Even a lack of sleep can aggravate symptoms that cause depression. Although depressive symptoms can make a person sleepy, that doesn’t mean that they’ll get a good night’s sleep.

Remedies

“It’s important to tackle the sleep problems at their source,” says Charles Hughes, a lifestyle blogger at Lia Help and State of Writing. “To do so, one must make some changes in his or her life to ensure that both mental health and sleep are accounted for.”

With that said, here are 7 ways to improve your sleeping habits, when it comes to having better mental health:

• First, make sure that you have a regular sleep-wake cycle in place. In other words, try to sleep and wake at regular times every day.
• Ensure that you have a comfortable bed and bedroom that you can sleep in. That means that factors like noise, light, and temperature should be tailored to your preferences, if possible.
• In addition, limit the use of problematic stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol near bedtime. These stimulants can aggravate your sleep problems.
• Also, avoid drinking excessive liquids, especially in the evening to minimize your chances of waking up to run to the bathroom.
• Plus, try not to go to bed until you’re really drowsy, and you’re actually ready to sleep. Most people who suffer from insomnia tend to spend more time in bed lying awake rather than actually sleeping.
• Remember to exercise regularly every day. However, should you exercise, be sure to not do so late in the evening, because exercise is about stimulating – or waking – the body.
• Finally, as much of a temptation as it can be, you must avoid using electronic devices late at night. Yes, computers, tablets, smartphones, and any other mobile device can be distracting in you trying to sleep. Plus, the bright lighting from the screen (even when you lower the light setting) can be overly stimulating, which can keep you awake. So, it’s best to put down the device near bedtime, and to get yourself tuned in to fall asleep.

Conclusion

Overall, poor sleep can be caused by negative mental health, as displayed above. With poor mental health comes poor sleep patterns; and with poor sleep patterns comes poor mental health. It’s a vicious cycle; but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Whether your sleep troubles are based on the above possibilities, or by some other form of existing psychological condition, one can still get the best sleep possible by figuring out their symptoms early, and doing something about it.

And, if sleep problems still persist, talk to your doctor on what you can do to relieve symptoms and get a better night’s sleep.