You're reactive to things that normally would roll off your back. This causes your mood to plummet, making it harder to cope with daily stress. Depression is a serious mood disorder that can severely affect someone's ability to function in everyday life.

It's not something you need to struggle through; help is available to you. The gold-standard treatment for depression is cognitive behavioral therapy , but medications are also often prescribed in addition to therapy. Harkavy-Friedman is the senior vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

If you don't address sleep issues, the treatment for depression is less impactful as you're not giving your body the tools it needs to function properly. Additionally, depressive episodes are more likely to return if you don't make meaningful changes in your sleep habits.

You have to address both sides of things. It can be challenging to break the cycle of poor sleep and depression. Improving your sleep won't just benefit your mental health , it ensures your physical health is on track too.

Remember, with all of these tips, consistency is critical. Before you do anything, take a second to look at your behaviors surrounding sleep. Establishing a bedtime routine can help build a structure your body will get used to.

Doing the same thing each night will help your body relax enough to fall asleep. You should also avoid overstimulation for at least a few hours before climbing into bed. Think of spending time outside as a two-for-one special. Not only does it boost your mental health, but it also can help you sleep at night.

One suspected contributing factor to depression is low serotonin levels , the neurotransmitter that regulates mood.

It's often referred to as the "feel good" chemical. Going outside is one way to naturally boost how much serotonin you have in your brain. Studies have found that sunlight can increase the body's serotonin production.

Going outside will also help improve your sleep by "resetting" your internal clock, which promotes normal sleep patterns. Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm, known as the sleep-wake cycle. Our brains produce melatonin in response to darkness to facilitate sleep.

It's all too easy to throw off this natural process. Going outside and reminding your body when it's light out can help restore balance. If your depression sleep disturbances present as hypersomnia, it's easy to fall into a pattern of frequent, long naps.

While naps aren't bad, you should assess why you're napping. Is it a way to cope or escape symptoms? Or do you just need a chance to step away and relax for a bit? If you feel like you need a nap, take one. Naps can help boost your mood and concentration for the rest of the day.

Just make sure you know why you're napping. It's also recommended to avoid naps in the late afternoon and limit them to no more than 20 minutes. I know what you're thinking: Why is exercise the solution to everything? I'm not just adding this tip to make you exercise; it can help you fight depression and sleep better at night.

There are a ton of benefits associated with exercise for mental health. Your mood increases, your depression or anxiety symptoms decrease and your confidence increases. Exercise helps you sleep by reducing your stress levels and tiring you out.

In both cases, intense workouts aren't required to reap the benefits. Walking, yoga and dancing are all forms of exercise that will boost your mental health and make it easier to sleep at night. Depression and alcohol have a delicate relationship, as many people with depression also have trouble with drinking.

While it offers short-lived relief, alcohol makes depressive symptoms worse and makes antidepressants less effective.

Regardless of whether you have a problem with alcohol, it's still essential to moderate how much you drink at night. A nightcap can also further impair your ability to sleep.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant , which makes it easier to fall asleep. As the effects of alcohol wear off on the excitatory nerve cells in the brain, you wake up, compromising your sleep quality and amplifying sleep disorders.

Therapy is the first line of treatment for depression. According to Harkavy-Friedman, cognitive behavioral therapy works for many people with sleep troubles. Cognitive behavioral therapy works on the concept that everything we think, feel and do depends on each other.

If one of them is off track, it throws off everything else. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you address sleep behaviors and habits that may keep you awake.

While also digging into any underlying thoughts that are contributing. Sleep and depression are connected. Sleeping well with depression is difficult, and not sleeping enough will make depression symptoms worse. If left unchecked, they can create a negative cycle that will impact your life.

However, this worry then makes it harder for us to get to sleep. Relaxation techniques can help you to unwind at these times. Alternatively, instead of staying in bed and getting more and more frustrated, you could get up and make yourself a warm drink avoid coffee, tea or any other caffeine drinks and return to bed when you feel sleepier.

If you keep having problems sleeping for more than a month, you could speak with your GP about the possibility of using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT. CBT is used to treat some mental health problems. It can encourage a more positive attitude, which can then help to break the cycle of negative thoughts causing your lack of sleep, and thus can help you to develop a healthier sleep pattern.

In England you can self-refer for NHS talking therapies service which may help reduce unnecessary use of GP time and speed referrals if talking treatments are appropriate. Alternatively, practices like mindfulness a type of meditation can help by reducing stress and anxiety levels.

Mindfulness can be practised without a GP prescription. Eating rice, oats and dairy products can produce chemicals that increase our desire to sleep.

However, food and drink containing lots of caffeine or sugar can keep you awake, so drinking less tea and coffee and eating less chocolate and other sugary foods late in the day might help you to sleep better.

Although it can make you feel tired and can help you get to sleep, alcohol impairs the quality of your sleep and makes you more likely to wake up during the night as the effects wear off, and you may need to go to the toilet frequently or get up to drink water if you are dehydrated.

Exercising on a regular basis is thought to help us sleep, as, among other things, it can help to reduce anxiety and relieve stress. It is, however, important to exercise at the right time.

Below are some of the most common sleep problems, with techniques that can be used to treat them. Insomnia is a condition where you are regularly unable to fall asleep or remain asleep for a long enough period of time. As a result, insomnia can have a negative effect on your mood, energy levels, concentration, relationships, ability to stay awake throughout the day, and ability to complete simple daily tasks.

One of the most widely used and successful therapies is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT ; for an easy introduction, read Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Problems by Colin Espie or ask your local GP or sleep clinic for advice on other CBT books or courses.

Regular daytime or early evening exercise can also be a great way to combat insomnia as it helps to reduce anxiety and stress, as can practices such as mindfulness. Using sleep medication, such as sleeping pills, is common.

However, these types of medication are only available by prescription from your GP and you can become reliant on them the longer you use them. Speak to your GP if your insomnia persists. Sleepwalking happens during deep sleep, meaning people can rarely remember doing it.

As well as getting out of bed and walking, some people do tasks in their sleep, such as cleaning. Sleepwalking is far more common in children than in adults. Sleepwalking is not dangerous unless you start doing risky activities in your sleep.

It is often related to stress or lack of sleep, or in adults drinking alcohol, so it is important to try and get regular, good-quality sleep by looking at the HEAL factors mentioned earlier in this guide. A night terror is different to a nightmare. It occurs during deep sleep, meaning that you rarely remember it.

Often an extreme and frightening experience, night terrors make your heart beat faster and might cause you to sweat or scream. Night terrors often begin in childhood, but rarely continue into adulthood. Little is known about how to treat people who have regular night terrors, although, in some cases, they can be linked to a traumatic experience.

If this is the case, and your night terrors are affecting your everyday life or ability to sleep, your GP might be able to refer you for therapy to help you deal with the underlying trauma. Snoring is a very common problem, affecting Snoring is a breathing problem, rather than sleep problem, and happens when a blockage in the airway causes the organs that help us breathe to vibrate.

Nasal strips can help by widening the nasal passage and improving the airflow when breathing. It is also better to sleep on your side, as sleeping on your back can cause your tongue to fall backwards and partially block your airflow.

Drinking less alcohol, exercising more regularly, and taking steps to lose weight if you are overweight can also reduce your snoring.

Sleep apnoea causes shallow breathing or pauses in breathing that may last up to 30 seconds at a time. In most cases, you will begin to breathe normally again, often making a loud snort or choking sound to clear your airway.

People with sleep apnoea can wake up frequently throughout the night feeling sweaty with a dry mouth and a headache. Unlike snoring, it is more important to treat sleep apnoea in order to prevent the brain from being deprived of oxygen.

A continuous positive airway pressure CPAP device can help by easing your airflow. Your GP will be able to recommend where you can get an assessment for a CPAP device. Working out the reasons why you might have problems sleeping can be difficult.

Keeping a sleep diary can help you keep track of when you slept well or poorly, and the possible reasons why that happened. If you feel affected by the content you have read, please see our get help page for support. The Mental Health Foundation today welcomes publication of the Mental Health Strategy for Northern Ireland.

Breadcrumb Home Explore mental health Publications. How to sleep better. Environment The bedroom should be somewhere that we associate with sleep. Attitude Lying awake in bed, particularly before an important day, can make us worry. Lifestyle There are many things that you can do every day to improve the quality of your sleep.

Sleep Disorders - the problems they cause and possible solutions Below are some of the most common sleep problems, with techniques that can be used to treat them. Insomnia Insomnia is a condition where you are regularly unable to fall asleep or remain asleep for a long enough period of time.

Sleepwalking Sleepwalking happens during deep sleep, meaning people can rarely remember doing it. Night terrors A night terror is different to a nightmare. Snoring Snoring is a very common problem, affecting Sleep apnoea Sleep apnoea causes shallow breathing or pauses in breathing that may last up to 30 seconds at a time.

Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create. Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.

These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep. Everything from blood vessels to the immune system The system that protects your body from invading viruses, bacteria, and other microscopic threats. uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr.

How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night. There are many misunderstandings about sleep.

One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.

In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in on the weekend. Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep, no matter how hard they try.

These problems are called sleep disorders. The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. This happens despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment.

It can make you feel tired or unrested during the day. Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or months.

Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer. Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep.

This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead to other health problems.

If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider. They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders. See the Wise Choices box for tips to sleep better every day.

Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Good sleep habits and an effective morning routine can help you wake up feeling energized and prepared for the day ahead.

Try these tips and techniques to start your day right. Your sleep habits can have a lasting effect on your overall health. Better cardiovascular health helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems.

Heart disease and sleep disorders are often bedmates. Take a Nap: The Benefits of Napping and How to Make It Work for You. Home Healthy Living Healthy Lifestyle Sleep. Sleep Join Healthy for Good and get tips for better sleep and health.

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