Mental Health Sleep Advice

How important is a good mattress to your sleep and mental health?

There's a very close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health. A quality supportive mattress can provide you with the healthy sleep you need.

Does making your bed improve your mental health?

While there isn't much research specifically studying the effects of making your bed, there is a solid body of evidence showing a clear link between living and working in an organized, clutter-free environment and having improved focus, goal-setting skills, productivity, and lower levels of stress.

If I can't sleep should I get up?

If you find yourself tossing and turning when you first get into bed then ideally, you should stay out of the bedroom for a minimum of half an hour. You can go back to bed when you start to feel sleepy. You'll be more likely to fall asleep faster if you go to bed when you're drowsy. Sometimes it's helpful to pick a time up front, be it 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes, it’s best if you try and train your body to wind down and relax with a pre-sleep routine each night.

How does meditation improve sleep?

By relaxing your body and brain, it's easier to quiet the distracting thoughts that keep your mind buzzing with meditation. Studies have found that it can help reduce cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress. Meditation increases the natural melatonin levels to help with more restful sleep.

Where can I find a guided meditation for sleep?

There are lots of online content or even podcasts that can help. Once you practice it can become second nature and help in your pre-sleep routine.

What oils and scents can I find to relax me?

One theory of how aromatherapy works is that essential oils can stimulate the smell receptors in your nose, which then sends messages to your nervous system. Some also believe that essential oils can have a subtle effect on the body’s chemical and energy systems. Because of this, aromatherapy is often used as a natural remedy to help relieve anxiety and stress. Topical applications and inhalation are some common ways that essential oils can be used for aromatherapy but they must always be used with caution and guidelines adhered to. Lavender oil can be used to calm anxiety. It also has a sedative effect and may help with sleep troubles, including if feelings of stress or anxiety are keeping you up at night. You can use it in the bath in products or find your own essential oil recipe. Bergamot essential oil can have a calming effect and can help reduce anxiety. Some animal and human trials have found that bergamot helps relieve anxiety and improve mood.

Do you stock any items with these scents in them?

We don’t currently but we do have all the sleep advice you need to go with additional sleep solutions. Mental health and good sleep goes hand in hand and we would love to help you improve yours.

What are the psychological effects of sleep deprivation?

The primary signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation include excessive daytime sleepiness and daytime impairment such as reduced concentration, slower thinking, and mood changes. Feeling extremely tired during the day is one of the hallmark signs of sleep deprivation.

What are the physical effects of sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation occurs any time that you get less sleep than your body needs. The degree of sleep deprivation can range from total acute sleep loss to chronic deprivation due to a reduction in the total sleep time. This can occur over one night or stretch over weeks, months, or even years. If someone requires 9 hours of sleep to feel rested, it is possible to become sleep deprived by getting 8 hours of sleep. Research studies have demonstrated that sleep deprivation may cause subtle changes in your vital signs. Vital signs are important physiological markers that are often tracked as part of a general health assessment. These include:

• Body temperature
• Blood pressure
• Heart and breathing rate

As an example, sleep deprivation may cause a small overall decrease in your body temperature. Changes in the other vital signs are relatively mild based on various studies. Sleep-deprived people, when they do sleep, tend to have longer and more frequent pauses in their breathing called apnea. Ensuring you are meeting your sleep needs is vital, 7-9 hours on average is the amount of hours per night to feel rested.

Is a nap a good idea if you are sleep deprived?

Sometimes it’s probably unavoidable when you’re feeling on the edge of tiredness but if you're sleep deprived or just looking for a way to relax, you might be thinking about taking a nap. Napping at the wrong time of day or for too long can backfire, though. Understand how to get the most out of a nap.
Napping offers various benefits for healthy adults, including:

• Relaxation
• Reduced fatigue
• Increased alertness
• Improved mood
• Improved performance, including quicker reaction time and better memory

Napping isn't for everyone. Some people simply can't sleep during the day or have trouble sleeping in places other than their own beds, which napping sometimes requires.
Napping can also have negative effects, such as:

• Sleep inertia. You might feel groggy and disoriented after waking up from a nap.
• Night-time sleep problems. Short naps generally don't affect night-time sleep quality for most people. But if you experience insomnia or poor sleep quality at night, napping might worsen these problems. Long or frequent naps might interfere with night-time sleep.