SLEEP COULD BE THE KEY TO NAVIGATING DIFFICULT TIMES

Gratitude, forgiveness, self-compassion, and meditation could be the keys to unlocking better sleep.

The covid-19 pandemic has been tough and seemingly unrelenting but there are things that you can do to improve your overall wellbeing during this difficult time. According the CDC, about 35% of adult Americans regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per night, with African Americans and other marginalized groups sleeping even less than that.

Recent studies have found that practicing gratitude, forgiveness, mindfulness, and self-compassion may improve your sleep during stressful time. 

Concerns about health and safety, work, disruption to our children’s education, deciding on the vaccine or not and more are keeping many of us up at night, creating fatigue, and stress the next day. Such stress can exacerbate preexisting mental health issue or trigger the onset of new mental health conditions. 

For this reason being intentional about improving the quality of our sleep is of vital importance. Sleep has a major influence on immune functioning. Sleep also  helps in enhancing relaxation chemicals, lowering stress hormones, and clearing the nervous system of toxic chemicals. Getting good sleep is also a powerful way to demonstrate your love and care for yourself. 

Here are some tips to enhance your sleep:

-Set a regular schedule. Aim to rise and sleep at roughly the same time each day and night.

-Get 20 minutes of bright light exposure after rising. Natural sunlight is optimal. 

-Engage in a physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. 

-As the sun sets, consider dimming indoor lights. 

-Avoid caffeine or sugary foods, especially in the evening.

-Limit alcohol intake. If you must, drink less, earlier, and with food. 

-Reduce exposure to screen lighting by turning off your electronic devices before bed.

-Make your bedroom a sanctuary: keep the bedroom cool (65 degrees F or less), move digital clocks out of sight, remove electronic devices from the bedroom, and consider blackout curtains or eyeshades. 

-Incorporate gratitude, forgiveness, self-compassion, and mediation into a way of life. 

#sleephygiene  #mentalhealthmatters #selfcare #epsychhealth