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As someone who struggles to sleep and often finds themselves surviving of 5 hours, knows the impact of sleep on your mental health. Many of us don’t realise the direct link straight away and just put our low moods and difficulty with coping in daily life down to other factors in our life. But sleep is one of those things that unless you regularly get a fair amount of sleep, you may find your mental health slipping through the cracks.
What does poor sleep do to your day to life?
When you’re struggling to sleep, you will likely over time notice changes in yourself and those around you notice them too. So what are some of the issues you may face if you’re not getting enough sleep? According to the NHS, the following things may happen to you if you’re getting a lack of sleep.
- Feeling irritable
- Struggling with anxiety, depression and even paranoia over time
- Lack of concentration
- No energy
- Short-tempered towards those who don’t deserve it.
- Feeling overwhelmed at the small things.
Why can’t I sleep?
I know with myself personally, a lot of the time I struggle to sleep is due to sleeping next to someone who moves around a lot. As well as overthinking my entire life before bed or whilst I’m laying there. Once I’m awake, I struggle to get back to sleep for ages, so I tend to do the unhelpful thing of looking at my phone for hours on end. My medication which I take for my anxiety and depression also impacts my sleep, I believe it gives me ounces of energy at the wrong time.
How can I get more sleep?
I’ve been researching different ways to get more sleep, and I came across several ideas. Although sadly the cure for a better nights sleep isn’t instant nor easy. Some of the suggestions I found were:
Get into a good sleeping pattern.
Although it’s easier said than done, getting into a better sleeping pattern is crucial for trying to get better sleep. I am a person who often finds they’re still awake at 3 am but even get up at a regular time. Which isn’t great for my mental health as I feel tired and lacking in energy a lot of the time. When I manage to get into a sleeping pattern, it usually lasts two days.
Try alternative remedies
Curious about trying something different? Why not try cbd oil for sleep with oils for your needs, ElleVance has several products which could help you with your sleeping pattern.
Turn off your phone.
This is one of my most significant issues, I am forever going on my phone instead of sleeping. I think that turning off or moving my phone away from my bed this would be beneficial for me and I’m pretty sure the same applies to many of us.
Try taking part in a sport
Badminton is a great sport for the whole family and can be done at any level. I always loved badminton at school and it is something I’d love to get back into. With the excuse to buy a racket and some new workout clothes, count me in.
Usual a journal/diary to offload
Suppose you’re struggling to sleep at night due to stress. If that is the case, it may be worth getting a journal to write down your thoughts. If you’re worried about forgetting something, you will have your ideas written down, ready to pick up again in the morning.
If you’re looking for any more tips on a better nights sleep, check out my post here.
