Have you been feeling down? Has it made it harder to sleep? Sleep and your mood are intricately intertwined. In fact, the relationship between sleep and depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders is deeper than you think. That’s not the only bit of bad news. It’s a vicious cycle! Feeling sad or frustrated can interfere with sleep quality, and in turn, a night with little sleep will make it more difficult to cope with the demands of the day. You’ll have another upsetting day leading to a bad mood, and another night of little sleep. You cannot last long having bad day after bad night and then starting all over again!
Your Emotional Regulation and How Sleep Helps
When we do not get adequate sleep, our emotional intelligence takes a nosedive and significantly impairs our ability to get along well with others. Have you ever been really tired and simply not been able to “deal with” someone or something? Poor sleep leads to a shorter emotional fuse and bigger, bolder reactions to negative situations. When tired, a person defaults to automatic behaviors, which require less cognitive reasoning, are typically more selfish, and just plain not as nice. We have a harder time accurately reading faces, and therefore experience more conflict with those around us. We even have less empathy for others when we’re tired.
On the other hand, getting your brain the sleep it needs helps you to regulate your emotions. You can’t be the best version of yourself if you’re tired.
The Risks Associated with Insomnia and What Truly Helps
For some people, sleepiness isn’t a one-off instance because they stayed up too late binging tv; it’s a regular occurrence. This is known as Insomnia, and it can increase the chances of developing depression tenfold! Often Insomnia sufferers experiencing difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep seek treatment with pills, alcohol, or some other quick fix. There is no medication that produces healthy sleep. In fact, sleeping pills have serious side effects, particularly in regard to cognition and mental health. It’s because your brain isn’t actually going through the healthy cycle you need and reaching both REM and Deep Sleep when you fall asleep by “knocking yourself out.”
Chronic insomnia increases the risk of developing a mood disorder, such as anxiety or depression. Taking sleeping pills or drinking alcohol are not the fix, but what is? First, develop a healthy bedtime routine and stick to it. This may include a nice bath, reading, journaling, or listening to music. Calm your mind, and your body will follow. Also, ensure when you do go to bed that you’re crawling onto a premium, hand-made mattress that was designed specifically to give you a rejuvenating night of sleep. Your problem could be as simple as you’re trying to get your needed sleep on an old or uncomfortable mattress!
Don’t Let Your Mood Today Affect Your Sleep Tonight
As stated above, not only does sleep affect mood, but mood and mental states can also affect sleep. If you’re sad, you may replay the events that upset you over and over again in your mind. This increases agitation and arousal, which makes it hard to sleep. Stress also affects sleep by making the body aroused, awake, and alert. This response is natural, as our ancestors wouldn’t have been very safe if they were able to fall asleep when they were in a dangerous situation. Yet, in our modern world, this is much more of a hindrance than a lifesaving help.
Break the cycle! Be sure to incorporate some stress relieving and mood-boosting activities into your daily routine. A half-hour of exercise is well known to improve your mood, so go for a walk or bike ride. These activities have the added bonus of taking place outside, which is also known to boost your mood. You may prefer a bit of yoga, which is great for sleep on its own, meditating, or chatting with friends. You’ll find something that works for you!
Sleep and mood are closely connected. Poor or too-little sleep causes irritability and stress, while healthy sleep can enhance well-being. After a sleepless night, you are often more irritable, short-tempered, and vulnerable to stress. Sleeping on a premium mattress allows your body to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get the rest you need for your mental well-being. If you don’t yet have the kind of top-tier mattress that makes your deep sleep possible, it is time you look into ordering a PranaSleep mattress.
If you sleep poorly and feel depressed, anxious, or less emotionally responsive, there are many steps you can do that will help. The most important thing is to not let yourself suffer and continue to repeat a cycle of poor mental health and poor sleep. Today should be the day you make a change for the better!
