Aside from the stress and fatigue we get from our jobs every day, we also have to deal with mental anxieties, which can altogether make our life even more complicated and difficult. It’s okay to deal with occasional stress and worrying, but only if our body and our mind gets the rest they need.
But what if you are struggling to give yourself time to relax? What if you’re not getting enough sleep because of your mental anxieties? What are you going to do?
Benefits of sleeping properly
Fortunately, there is still a cheap and effective treatment that can help heal your mental anxiety and eliminate the things that cause your mind to become restless, and that is by getting enough sleep.
- Getting the right amount of sleep contributes more to your longevity, even more so than daily exercises, a healthy diet, and your genetics.
- Sleep can affect every function in your body. By looking at a person’s sleeping patterns, you can quickly determine whether that person is physically and mentally healthy or not.
- Sleeps gives your body the chance to recover and repair itself. If your body is deprived of sleep, some, if not all, of your body functions will start to malfunction one by one.
- Sleep is also essential in keeping you emotionally healthy and socially active.
- Sleep can help you clear your mind especially if you have a lot of mental anxieties.
- Getting the right amount of sleep can help you think more clearly and focus on what’s really important.
Even though everyone knows the importance of healthy sleep, only a few people are able to get the right amount of sleep every day.
Tips for sleeping properly in order to get rid of your mental anxiety
If you are suffering from mental anxiety and are deprived of sleep, here are some important tips to help you get the right amount of sleep in order to manage your mental issues.
- Daily exercise.
Daily exercise can help you sleep properly at night and lower your mental anxiety. Exercising regularly can help you maintain a proper sleeping pattern, and it also helps in treating sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea. Just avoid exercising before going to sleep though.
2. Create a good and positive sleeping environment.
Your sleeping environment is sometimes one of the reasons why you are not sleeping properly.
- Be sure to create a sleeping environment where you can sleep properly and relax.
- Find the proper lighting and temperature so you can feel comfortable as you sleep.
- Having a sleeping environment that’s dark, quiet, and cool can help relax your mind and body, which can then make you fall asleep fast.
3. Develop sleeping rituals.
You may want to develop some sleeping rituals that may help you fall asleep fast such as:
- Reading a book, as this practice can help eliminate stresses and anxieties that are swirling around your brain and keeping you from having a good night sleep.
- Taking a bath before going to sleep, so that you can help lower your body temperature and make you fall asleep more quickly.
- Listen to some good and relaxing music, as doing so before going to bed can help put you in a state of relaxation.
4. Don’t eat too much and avoid caffeine and alcohol during nighttime.
Avoid large meals before dinner, and stop your coffee/tea consumption at around midday.
- Having a heavy meal at night, especially before going to bed, can keep you awake since your digestive system is still working overtime.
- Caffeine and alcohol can also keep you awake. Caffeine can increase your anxiety leaving you unable to sleep, while alcohol can disrupt your usual sleep patterns and prevents you from having a good night sleep.
- Drinking too much water is good throughout the day but not before going to bed. Too much water during the nighttime can increase your bathroom trips, and it can make you anxious and alert.
5. Find ways to help relax your mind.
You should find ways or develop new habits that will help clear and relax your mind and make you sleep properly.
- There are relaxation techniques that can help you clear your mind and improve your sleep such as guided imagery, breathing exercises, etc.
- You can also do yoga or meditation exercises to help you keep your mind at ease and erase the negative thoughts. You won’t be able to have a good night sleep if you can’t get rid of the negative thoughts on your mind.
6. Avoid using mobile or electronic devices before sleeping.
There is certainly a time to put your smartphone down, and that is before you go to sleep.
- Opening your phone or laptop before going to sleep is not going to help you clear your mind and fall asleep.
- The light of the device will stimulate your brain and can trigger anxious thoughts which can deprive you of sleep.
- Try listening to music or reading a book to avoid triggering any more anxious thoughts.
7. Seek help.
If you think you are still not able to sleep because you can’t manage your anxiety even though you’ve done everything you could, it’s time for you to get help.
- Seek a doctor’s help if you are having trouble sleeping because of a medical condition.
- Seek counseling support if you still can’t manage your mental anxieties on your own.
Keep in mind that the amount sleep you can get every night is entirely up to you. While sleep does help heal mental anxiety, it will never work out for you if you don’t give yourself enough time to sleep properly. Consider these tips tonight, hopefully you’ll find something that works for you and your peaceful mind at night will help you heal your mental anxiety all throughout the day.
If you’ve been having troubles in your sleep that it’s beginning to affect your mental health, you may reach out to Endeavour Wellness.
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Joel Curtis
Joel Curtis is a registered Psychologists with Endeavour Wellness and has over 17 years of experience. Joel holds a Masters’ Degree in Psychology from Western Sydney University. Joel owns a number of private practices in Sydney and provides expert content for several national TV and Radio programmes.