Sleep and mental health

There is overwhelming evidence that one’s mental health is directly related to their quantity and quality of sleep. For me, sleep has been a factor in maintaining my mental health, especially my anxiety. Before I developed a mental illness, sleep was not too high of a priority. As a college student, I could stay up until 3:00 working on an assignment then wake up at 7:00 to get to class. Between drinking caffeine and driving with radio on loud, I could go through my day as if I had gotten a full 8 hours of sleep. Although I don’t attribute developing a mental illness to my poor sleep habits, not paying enough attention to my health or listening to my body definitely contributed to the severity of my mental breakdown. If I had taken better care of myself during the semester, I don’t think my symptoms would have begun so abruptly.

Throughout my battle with mental illness and my recovery, paying attention to my sleep has been essential. Getting too much or too little sleep during the night has an impact on my energy and symptom management the next day. Taking my nightly medications on schedule and giving myself time to unwind and relax at night gives me a better quality sleep than going straight to sleep after taking my medications. Knowing when I need to take a short nap or sleep in on the weekends has helped me revitalize after a long work week. Listening to what my body needs has led me to being able to work full-time while managing my mental illness. Getting the right amount of sleep and rest are key aspects in maintaining mental health and decreasing the occurrence or severity of symptoms.

For more information on the relationship between sleep and mental health, check out the link below to an informational article by sleephelp.org!

https://www.sleephelp.org/mood-emotions-sleep/

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 5, 2019 at 11:19 AM

    Sleep, too, is my go-to barometer for my mental wellness. If sleep is off, I am off...

    ReplyDelete
  2. MehvishJune 20, 2019 at 8:24 AM

    Hello, it is true that mental health is most important as physical health.Sleep is too important for mental health. Thanks for sharing this informative information. Our society need such a useful post.Wigs for Cancer Patients

    ReplyDelete
  3. OliverAugust 27, 2019 at 4:25 AM

    Mental and physical health are equally important to every human being. Thanks for sharing a word of awareness. :-) Also, sleep and mental health affects each other directly,hence we should be careful about these things in life. Buy Etizolam RX

    ReplyDelete
  4. manish kumarOctober 4, 2021 at 5:55 AM

    Wonderful blog! Mental health is as important as physical health for a body. On this world mental health day, we bring World mental health day ideas to spread awareness about the role of mental health in our lives.

    ReplyDelete

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