5. Recovery Tools - How to Get Better Sleep for Healing

How to Get Better Sleep for Healing

Consistent sleep is one of the most powerful tools in your mental health toolbox. Sleep is healing for your body and mind, and better sleep is strongly connected to improving mental health. The problem is that trouble falling or staying asleep are symptoms of both depression and anxiety. You may not feel like sleeping, or you might want to sleep all the time. These are normal symptoms of your depression or anxiety, and making your sleep schedule healthier and more regular will probably help your other symptoms too!

How Much Should I Sleep?
Adults usually need 8-9 hours of sleep a night. There are a few people who need less, but not many. Chances are that if you think you function "just fine" on six hours of sleep, you're probably in denial. Try a week of 8 hour nights. You just might love it.

What if I Can't Sleep?
You can retrain your brain. Sleep is a habit, and you can change habits over time. Good sleep hygiene is a useful tool that helps your body and mind learn to rest.

What's Sleep Hygiene?
It's a list of things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are a few:

Find your Rhythm: Wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day - even on weekends. It's not easy at first, but it makes a big difference once your body knows what time to sleep.

If you can't sleep, get out of bed: if it's bedtime, but you just can't sleep, you don't have to toss and turn in bed. It's even better to get up and do something repetitive and calm, like folding socks or reading a relaxing book. Once you feel sleepy, go back to bed and try to sleep. Keep the lights low while you're awake, and try not to do anything too engaging or stressful. Audiobooks can be helpful, as well.

Skip the Caffeine: Coffee stays in your system a lot longer than most of us realize. Try not to have any coffee, tea, caffeinated soda, or other stimulants like cigarettes for at least 4-6 hours before bed. Even longer is better. Read the note on caffeine to see how long it stays in your system.

Avoid Alcohol: It's also best to stay away from alcohol for at least 4-6 hours before sleeping. Longer is better, and many clinics suggest avoiding alcohol entirely. It may help you fall asleep faster, but it's not as helpful as it seems. Alcohol disrupts sleep quality and might cause you to wake up more in the night.

Save your bed for sleeping: Try to use your bed for only sleeping and sex so your body associates that place with sleep. If you use your bed as a place to watch TV, eat, read, work on your laptop, or pay bills, your brain might start gearing up for those things when you climb into bed.

Try Not to Nap: Naps during the day can make it harder to sleep at bedtime, so stay up all day, if you can. If you do need a nap, keep it shorter than an hour, and finish before 3 PM.

Create a Bedtime Routine: Choose a few things to do each night that remind you it's time to sleep. Try 15 minutes of stretches or breathing, or curl up with a cup of herbal tea. A hot bath might also help, but try to take it an hour or two before bed so your body can cool off before sleeping.

Hide the Clock: Checking the clock over and over can stress you out, and anxiety makes it harder to sleep. Set an alarm to help you wake up, but keep the clock out of sight as much as you can.

Exercise earlier in the day: Regular exercise makes it easier to sleep, but getting active too close to sleepy time might wake your body up. Try to avoid strenuous exercises for at least four hours before bedtime.

What if I Still Can't Sleep? You may have insomnia or a sleep disorder. Try the technique in our “Sleep Consolidation” article, and talk to your doctor. Don't give up until you can get your rest.