A Prescription for Better Sleep
Restful Sleep for Mental Health
In thinking about the five pillars of lifestyle medicine (sleep, nutrition, movement, stress reduction and social connection), sleep is by far my personal favorite. Not so coincidentally, it’s one that many of my patients struggle with.
Sleep disruptions are a feature of most mental health conditions. In anxiety, worry and physical discomfort can keep people awake. Depression can cause either increased or decreased sleep. In mania, sleep needs are greatly decreased. And even ADHD seems to be related to sleep disturbances.
While mental health conditions negatively impact sleep, poor sleep can definitely exacerbate mental health symptoms. It’s a cruel catch 22!
Luckily, improving sleep even incrementally can start a cascade of positive changes. If your sleep is good, it’s definitely easier to make other positive changes.
So of course I spend a lot of time talking with patients about sleep. Sometimes is just choosing one or two small tweaks other times we create a more structured plan around sleep, a sleep prescription.
My favorite little tweaks:
Create a relaxing sleep routing
Remove the TV from your bedroom
No caffeine after 2 pm
Minimize alcohol and nicotine
Use your bed only for sleep and sex
Aim to do exercise daily but no strenuous aerobic activity in the evening
If you must nap, keep the naps short and early in the day
Create some helpful phrases to repeat if you experience stress around sleep. “I will let my body rest” or “My body knows what it needs” are examples
An example of a structured sleep plan
Aim for a 10 pm bedtime. If your bedtime is after midnight, slowly move it 30 minutes earlier every two weeks
Set a bedtime alarm for one hour before your intended bedtime to encourage you to start transitioning into sleep.
Set another alarm for 8 hours later for wake up.
Create a relaxing, screen free, bedtime routine. Reading a book, listening to relaxing music, or even doing some gentle stretches can be helpful to transition into a restful sleep.
If you wake up throughout the night, instead of thinking “I can’t sleep” or other worrisome thoughts, try to shift to less stressful thoughts such as “I will let my body rest”.
We Can Help You Sleep Better and Feel Better
So as you can see, there are many different ways we can address sleep. At White Pine Mental Health & Wellness, we personalize these recommendations to your needs and preferences.
If you’d like to discuss a personalized sleep plan to help your mental health, reach out to schedule an appointment now. We see patients across Alabama, Idaho and Florida for behavioral healthcare and would love to help you!
