World Mental Health Day: A good night’s sleep helps keep psychological stress away

Today, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, it is important to acknowledge that proper sleep is important to banish stress, anxiety and depression from your life.

रातभर उल्‍लू की तरह जागने की है आदत तो बेहतर नींद लेने के फॉलो करें ये 7 आयुर्वेदिक उपाय

Mental health is integral for overall well-being of a person. According to the World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This can be interpreted to mean that mental health is much more than just the absence of mental disorders. It includes emotional, psychological and social well-being too. If you suffer from any mental distress, it can affect your thinking mood and behavior. Acknowledging the importance of mental health for all, every year, countries and organisations across the world observe October 10^th as World Mental Health Day. The aim of this day is to create awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health. This year the theme is 'Investment in Mental Health'.

With the pandemic affecting normal life as we know it, many people find it increasingly difficult to 'switch off' and concentrate on good health, including mental well-being. The World Mental Health Day is an excellent reminder to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle despite the stress caused by loss of jobs, income and security owing to the pandemic. One of the casualties of the current pandemic is sleep, which is so important for mental well-being.

Sleep your way to sound mental health

A good night's sleep improves your neuro-cognitive functions like judgment, memory, ability to concentrate and innovate. All this improves your work-life balance, keeps your mind fresh, improves your confidence and ultimately leads to a stress and depression free lifestyle. So, the first step to having a healthy mind is a well-rested body and mind. Globally, various studies have proved that depression and mental stress are associated with an improper sleep cycle or sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. Today, on World Mental health Day, Dr Sibasish Dey, Head, Medical Affairs, Asia, and Latin America, ResMed, shares tips to sleep well at night. He also sheds light on various pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to treat sleep-related disorders, that will help you have a good night's sleep.

Dealing with sleep apnea

If you think you are suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia or lesser-known disorders like restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, you should contact a sleep specialist. Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes you to stop breathing for a few seconds at night due to over-relaxation of muscles in the throat. This condition obstructs the airflow through the upper airway, thus disrupting your sleep cycles. With this disorder, you tend to wake up tired in the morning even after an 8-hour long sleep. Today, on World Mental health Day, Dr Sibasish Dey, Head, Medical Affairs, Asia, and Latin America, ResMed, tells us how to deal with this problem for a life free of mental problems.

Treatment options

According to Dr Dey, there are various pharmacological and non- pharmacological treatment therapies that you can undertake to get relief. The positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the most effective pharmacological treatment for sleep apnea. It works by creating a "pneumatic splint" for the upper airway, preventing the soft tissues of the upper airway from narrowing and collapsing. With the PAP machine, you inhale just right amount of air to keep your lung's and upper airway passages open, preventing breathing pauses resulting in healthy sleep. If you wish to take the non-pharmacological option, you have to make some healthy lifestyle changes such as maintaining body weight, cutting down on alcohol and smoking, trying yoga and other exercises regularly can help assist a sound sleep routine.

Tips to overcome sleep problems and enjoy good mental health

Dr Dey shares a few tips that will help you sleep better at night. Follow these tips to enjoy a life free of any kind of mental disorder.

• Form a schedule - Maintaining a sleep regime with consistent sleep and wake-up timings, helps in regulating your biological clock, making sure you consistently fall and stay asleep for adequate hours.
• Relax before bedtime - Relaxing exercises like mediation can assist you well in falling asleep. Ensure that you do these exercises away from bright light and avoid activities that cause stress or anxiety.
• Avoid bright light before bed Inherently, humans are more disposed to feel sleepy with the decrease in brightness. Try to expose yourself to bright sunlight during the daytime and avoid too much light after dusk.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks or smoking - Alcohol or caffeinated drink consumption or smoking at the hours close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep. Caffeine causes sleep latency and alcohol disrupts the quality of sleep.
• Say no to gadgets Post a full day at work or chores at home, the body needs time to recuperate and shift from the active mode into sleep mode. Therefore, to help the body in this switch - avoid using gadgets like mobile phones, LED TVs etc, which emit blue lights and high-intensity activities at least one hour before bedtime. This way, your body will prepare itself to fall asleep sooner.