Getting A Good Night’s Sleep – By Shahela Sheikh

Getting A Good Night’s Sleep: Every Insomniac’s Struggle! – Written By Shahela Sheikh

Most of us will wake up at least once in the night although we won’t always remember it, so if you do wake up don’t automatically assume you have a problem. Sleeping problems manifest in different ways. On average an adult needs to sleep between seven and eight hours, however many of us have different hours 0f sleep some of us may sleep anywhere from four to nine hours.

Why & how does your mental health affect your sleep patterns?

The most common emotional problems that affect your sleep include depression, anxiety and drinking too much.

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom of depression: typically depressed people wake early in the morning and during the night. So if this is true for you, bear in mind that it does not mean you are losing your mind, and there is a very good chance that your sleep difficulties will improve as your mood lifts.

Worry and anxiety can also affect your sleep pattern, as sometimes when we do decide to sleep our mind seems to be drowned in our worries, getting in our way to fall asleep.

Traumas could also affect your sleep, which can cause flashbacks making you relive your traumatic event eventually putting you in fear to fall asleep.

Common kinds of sleeping problems:

Difficulty sleeping is known as insomnia, this is very common and affects one-third of adults. Insomnia is most common in people with depression.

Sleeping problems affect in 4 main ways:

• Getting to sleep
• Waking during the night or early in the morning
• Excessive sleep
• Nightmares

Dealing with sleep problems:

• See a psychologist to get yourself assessed for depression and anxiety.
• Watch out for signs of depression.
• Get into a sleep routine (e.g. waking and sleeping as per the planned routine).
• Avoid napping during the day.
• Avoid eating too late that would bring about digestion problems, disrupting your sleep.
• Structure your day and avoid working late at night.
• Avoid brain stimuli e.g. avoid drugs, avoid checking emails, using the internet, the TV and using the computer.
• Take a hot bath and avoid caffeine.

If all of the above does not work, see a professional who could prescribe medicines to help you sleep, however, it is advisable to seek therapy first before taking sleeping pills as they can have adverse side effects.

Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

Shahela Sheikh – Psychologist

If you have any questions or issues or questions regarding sleep, write to us and our expert will get in touch with you!