Courtesy/News Source: finebedding.co.uk

There’s no question that when you sleep better, you feel better. But it’s not just physical well being that is better when you sleep well — your mental health can be improved, too.

Think about it: when you’re short on sleep, you just don’t feel good. You’re fatigued, have a hard time concentrating, and you’re subject to irritability. Stress, anxiety, and depression don’t just disappear when you’re well rested, but you are in a better position to deal with them — and that can have a positive effect on your overall mental health.

What’s the Link Between Sleep and Mental Health?

Sleep and mental health go hand in hand. Not only does sleep deprivation affect your mental health, mental health problems can influence sleep issues. Patients treated for mental health experience sleep disorders at a higher rate than other people, especially people who suffer from anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and bipolar disorder.

That’s bad news if you’re struggling with mental health (and maybe not sleeping well), but the good news is treating sleep issues (and sleep disorders in particular) could help improve your mental health.

The bottom line: sleeping well can make you more mentally resilient, supporting good emotional and overall mental health. But if you’re chronically sleep deprived, you’re more susceptible to negative thoughts and struggling with emotions.

Sleep is nature’s reset button. Just as you might turn your computer or phone off and back on again to see if it solves a problem.

Sleep is a way of wiping the slate clean every day both physically and mentally. In deep sleep, your body restores itself and packs away everything you’ve learned and experienced that day.

But when you don’t sleep enough or get good quality sleep, you’re not able to get that full reset that you need every night to start each day fresh and prepared to manage stress, difficult emotions, anxiety, and any other mental challenges the day might throw at you.