Sleep is one of the most important components of being healthy. It is during sleep that we rest and rejuvenate. During sleep, our mind sorts and categorizes the day’s experiences and solidifies memories. Our muscles and tissues heal. Lack of sleep has been shown to contribute to hallucinations and mood disturbance. So poor sleep can mess up your mood, but a mood disorder can mess up your sleep. At least poor sleep accompanies most mood disorders. Getting sleep under control can be a significant aspect of getting mood under control.
Make a habit: Our brains are creatures of habit and association. You want to create habits which indicate to the brain that it is time for sleep. First, have a schedule of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. This means weekends, too, if you have sleep difficulties. Have a wind-down routine to get ready for bed: change into sleep wear, brush your teeth, read or do something relaxing, do a sleep meditation. Some activities are best done earlier in the day. Exercise helps one to get a better night’s sleep if done earlier in the day, but can make sleeping difficult if done too close to bedtime. Also, use of electronics and viewing screens should be stopped about an hour before bed. They have been found to inhibit the production of melatonin by the brain.
Break an association: When you go to bed, if you find yourself lying there thinking and not able to fall asleep longer than half an hour, get up out of bed. As I said, our brains make associations. If every night you lie in bed thinking, your brain decides the bed is your thinking place! So, get up and move to another part of the room. Go into another room if you can. Do not turn on the TV or get onto your computer! If you are doing those things in the middle of the night, again, your brain thinks that is the time to do those things instead of sleep. Keep lights dim and do something quiet or relaxing even boring until you get drowsy, then go back to bed and try to sleep again.
Fix the environment: The sleep environment is important. The room should be dark and a little cooler than during the day. It should be quiet. If there is someone in your vicinity who snores and you have poor sleep along with a mood disorder, it is a matter of health to get away from the snoring party. Some people like “white noise” or some background noise like a fan. But again, because of association, you could find that you cannot fall asleep without the background noise, and when traveling, have to take your noise source with you. Others might not be able to sleep around you! It is best to not have any electronics emitting light in the room, especially blue light which research has shown disrupts sleep. Get the devices out of the room or cover them or put them away where the light cannot be seen. Also, turn off electronics or put them away somewhere so that you are not receiving texts or alerts during the night.
A lot of people do not like to make the changes needed for better sleep, especially stopping the use of electronics. If you are diagnosed with and seeking treatment for a significant sleep or mood disorder, however, it is important that you do everything you can to help improve your sleep.
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