Proper Sleep

The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School says in its article Sleep and Mood:

“Studies have shown that even partial sleep deprivation has a significant effect on mood….”

Anxiety increases agitation and arousal, which make it hard to sleep. Stress also affects sleep by making the body aroused, awake, and alert. People who are under constant stress or who have abnormally exaggerated responses to stress tend to have sleep problems.”

Lack of sleep can elevate the body’s production of stress hormones, affecting mood of course, cause depression, raise blood pressure and boost blood levels of substances that are responsible for increasing inflammation in the body.

There is research showing subjects who lacked sleep ended up eating more. Sleep deprivation can affect hormones which regulate appetite control.

However, addressing sleep problems makes a difference.

Even if you do not have underlying sleep problems, taking steps to ensure adequate sleep will lead to improved mood and well-being.

Ensure you do not have too much noise in your room. If noise is an unavoidable problem (as it is for many folks in busy areas). Perhaps consider getting a white noise machine or small fan that runs in the background.

Also ensure that your room is not too hot. A cool temperature is best for sleeping.

If you awake in the night then do not turn on the lights, but rather use a flashlight where feasible. Light effects a brain chemical called melatonin. Melatonin regulates your sleep-wake cycle, so having too much light will cause you to increase levels of melatonin which begins to wake you up.

Establishing a routine and preparing for bedtime in advance, making your sleeping quarters as comfortable as possible. Using some natural aromas or lighting a candle as you do your “shut down” routine, i.e. brushing teeth, etc., can be helpful.

Also developing good sleep habits such as sleeping on your side and developing – and sticking to – a bedtime and sleep schedule can be incredibly helpful.

This page is an excerpt from an article on sleep from our website.  You may access the full version by clicking here.