There is perhaps no more important factor in maintaining mental health than sleep. So the experts tell us. They are right. From personal experience I can attest to the absolute necessity of good sleep. Give me a couple of nights of poor sleep or no sleep and I am in big trouble. In my case sleeplessness is a slippery slope (even precipitous!) to depression and anxiety.
Fortunately, there are a number of tools/skills that can help regulate your sleep. These come out of cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. But for the most part they are just common sense. Maintaining a steady sleep regimen is paramount. Going to bed at a consistent time each day. Getting out of bed (no matter hard this may be) at the same time each day. Find out how much sleep you need. If this isn't in the 7 to 9 hour range, you aren't getting enough. No bright screens (TV, computer, cell phone) an hour before bedtime. No social media/email in the late evening. I find these can "trigger" agitation and worry, which can prevent me from calming down and falling to sleep. Find out your "caffeine quit time." I have a heightened sensitivity to caffeine. Any caffeine after 3:00 in the afternoon and I will not sleep well that night. (Your quit time may be later. Experiment to find out.) A consistent bedtime routine also helps. I do the same night time rituals getting ready for bed, and I read something that is of interest (but borderline boring) until my eyes get tired and I turn the light out. Oh yes, if you need help, ask your doctor. There are non-addictive meds that can help.
But as Christians, you and I have a partner in all this...God. In Psalm 127:2 we read, "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest...for he gives to his beloved sleep." And we know that, "He makes me lie down in green pastures." (Psalm 23:2) Time and again I have experienced His special grace in helping me to sleep. This has been so important that in my journal each day I pray for good sleep. And whenever I get it, I give Him credit and I thank Him for it. In another blog I will address practices like "mind-full-ness," essentially meditating on verses from the Bible as I go to sleep. And there is also prayer. More on this later. For now, just know that you have a partner in your mental health. This includes "giving to his beloved sleep." Thank Him for this. He cares.
Blessings!
The Christian Bipole
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