If you are a veteran who struggles to get quality sleep, you may feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of insomnia and stress. One will beget the other and, if not adequately addressed, could turn into a larger problem. To find optimal physical and mental health, consider these sleep-related questions.
Do You Need to Get More Exercise?
Exercise can benefit your mental health in several ways, but MQ points out that the most important thing to know is that getting daily exercise helps regulate the chemicals in your brain, reducing feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety. For veterans who are affected by PTSD, maintaining a physical fitness regimen can help them escape the “fight-or-flight” response they tend to feel in everyday situations.
In addition to providing direct benefits to your mental health and well-being, which can help reduce insomnia, regular exercise also can enhance your sleep in other important ways. An increase in body temperature, and the resulting decrease, can make it easier to fall asleep, and getting in a daily workout also can reduce tension in your muscles and mind.
Wondering what sort of exercises are best for improving sleep quality? Vigorous workouts such as running and weight-lifting help burn excess energy and can make you feel more tired at night, but even a gentle yoga practice can relax your mind and body for sleep.
If working out in the evening hours seems to leave you too energized to sleep, you may want to try shifting your more active and intense workouts to morning hours. Head to the gym to start your day right, or if time is too tight, stream exercise videos from the comforts of home.
Is Your Bedroom Conducive to Sleep?
Your sleep environment plays a significant role in sleep quality. A cluttered room, too many noise disturbances, too much light, uncomfortable bedding or a lumpy mattress all play a part in stealing your sleep.
If your bedroom is cluttered and messy, take the time to organize it so that its main purpose is for sleep. If street lights or sunlight make it difficult to get good rest, add light-blocking curtains or shades so you can achieve maximum darkness, and invest in a white noise machine to drown out sounds that can keep you up. If your mattress has seen better days, consider replacing it. Since this can end up being the most significant purchase you make when changing up your bedroom, take the time to review mattress buying guides and keep your sleep position and firmness preferences in mind. Size is also important. If you’ve been sleeping on a full mattress, now is the time to upgrade to a larger model like a queen, which is considered the ideal mattress for adults based on affordability and size.
As you wind down for the night, it is also important to avoid watching TV or spending time on your phone in the hours leading up to your regular bedtime. The blue light emitted from these devices can affect the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, throwing off your circadian rhythm and exacerbating sleep deprivation.
Do You Need to Talk to Someone?
Taking steps to manage mental health can help you improve your sleep and also improve your well-being. Practicing self-care, maintaining healthy habits, and looking to friends and loved ones for social support can all be effective practices for managing less severe mental health concerns.
When those concerns and symptoms become so overwhelming that you cannot sleep or when you feel out of control in your life, it may be time to seek help.
Because mental health is so stigmatized by our society, and because this can be an even bigger issue for veterans with mental health concerns, you may need to work around your pride to get the help you need. Understand that mental health is a viable concern, and reaching out for help does not make you weak. After all, it takes a lot of strength to seek help for mental health issues in the face of these obstacles.
Veteran or not, you need sleep for your mental health. You also need it for your overall well-being. Take the steps you need to manage your mental health and improve your sleep.
