Sleep deprivation and Mental Health…

Can’t sleep?/ Can’t stay asleep?

Do you feel really tired during the day? and wide awake at night? On the other hand to you try to establish a bed routine, and find yourself waking up during the middle of the night? I couldn’t relate to this until my recent struggles with sleeplessness and tiredness and at times fatigue.

Read on…

Until recently I haven’t had any problems with sleep. I could go to bed early and wake up early. My body was on autopilot in terms of my sleep and wake patterns. I came across a man called Steve Stevenson on YouTube (who in my eyes is a sleep expert) expressing all the advantages of sleep, he says, I quote:

“I know now that our sleep quality is more important than our diet and exercise combined.”

– Steve Stevenson

I recently bought his book on audible – called Sleep Smarter (this is not a sponsored post ladies and gents) But it was my first acquaintance with this speaker/best-selling author that changed my mindset about sleep and its importance. I don’t claim to be an expert in this area. But my inability to get asleep or stay asleep was one of my major triggers before my last two episodes/ relapses.

“I thought back, and realised that these sleep problems weren’t sudden. There was a build up to my inability to stay asleep, and sleeplessness.”

LookAfterU4me Writer

Not taking or forgetting to take meds

(Especially when one of my meds had sleep aiding tendencies.) Don’t feel guilty if you have the tendency to forget to take your meds. I listed a couple of tips below to assist you on your journey.

• Set and alarm on your phone, so you’re consistent about when you take your medication.
• Have a medication box or container with the days of the week, so you know what medication you have taken. And refill this container with the days of the week, when the week comes to a close.
• Proceed with caution, when it comes to mindset around taking meds. I had a negative view towards medication until recently. Views on meds are sometimes hard to change. Learn to know your triggers and manage them. Just take one day at a time…

A change, a life event.

This can be the rearrangement of your living space by another person, so that you can’t find things. Or you just started dating someone, or you have a secret crush and you could be fantasizing about them late at night– (we’ve all been there ladies and gents.) – sparking excitement and sheer wonder. Or on the contrary you just broke up with someone, this scenario can trigger restlessness, worry or thoughts of what could we could have done to change things, or regretfully thinking I could have done things differently. Even some inevitable such as a change in living arrangements, or job can impact or change your sleep patterns for a little while.

You can’t always anticipate everything, but try to anticipate things you know are going to change (if possible) like a job change or a move or in the midst of the change in situation. I’ve listed some things you can try out below:

• Tip1: You could make small changes to your sleep. For example, sleeping half an hour earlier.
• Tip 2: Try to cut of technology, turning of your phone an hour before bed. Avoid checking your emails just before you go to bed including things like Instagram or Facebook. – These forms of social media and technology can leave your thoughts racing.
• Tip 3: Write your thoughts down if you’re lying in your bed trying to figure out things or reasoning.

Are you worried you’re not sleeping enough?

For the past week or so, on 3 or 4 occasions I’ve woken up and the first thing I look at is the time – (it’s either 2 or 3 o clock) that’s my first mistake. Then I think to myself: “I’ve only been sleeping for 4 or 5 hours, and I’ve got work the next day.”- What’s wrong with this scenario (of checking the time), it’s kinda setting up yourself for failure. Like me, you may not feel relaxed when you lie down and attempt to go back to sleep because you’ve looked at the time And may not feel it’s possible to fall back into a deep sleep.

If your sleep is interrupted:

• Tip 1: Get a hot drink, like Chamomile Tea, warm milk (for non- dairy folks, hot Oat milk/ Almond milk) with a bit of cinnamon.
• Tip 2: Avoid looking at the time (this is easier said than done)
• Tip 3: Try avoiding scrolling on social media or even YouTube.
• Tip 4: Read, write or listen to music, read a book, or listen to a book or calming music on a low sound level.
• Tip 5 Write your thoughts in a notebook or journal rather than going over it in your head.

Note to readers: if sleeplessness persists I would recommend contacting your doctor, especially if you’ve gone through a change e.g. a reduction in medication, or a change in diet.

Shawn Stevenson speaking on sleep:

Find out more on how sleep affects mental health below:https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health