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Sleep and Emotional Regulation: How quality sleep impacts mental health and emotional resilience
10 Plays1 month ago
In this episode of the Growing with Sol podcast, I dive into the crucial relationship between sleep and mental health. Continuing our wellness series, we explore how quality sleep directly impacts our emotional regulation, anxiety, and depression.
I break down what your circadian rhythm actually is and how it influences not just your sleep patterns, but also your hormones, digestion, and body temperature. Learn why sleep deprivation amplifies negative emotions while dampening positive ones - a combination that can seriously worsen anxiety and depression.
Research shows that poor sleep quality isn't just a symptom of mental health struggles - it can actually contribute to their onset and make existing conditions worse. The good news? Creating better sleep habits can help. I share practical tips for developing a healthy bedtime routine, including nutrition considerations, screen management, and environment optimization.
Whether you're struggling with falling asleep or staying asleep, this episode offers science-backed strategies to improve both your sleep quality and mental wellbeing. Remember, most adults need 7-9 hours of quality sleep for optimal health - and I'll help you get there!
Join the conversation! What's your biggest sleep challenge? Share in the comments or DM me on Instagram or TikTok @YourCoachMari.
See you in the next episode! ✨
Resources referred to in this chapter::
Book: Eat Smarter by Shawn Stevenson
Emotion, emotion regulation and sleep: An intimate relationship
Sleep deprivation makes us less happy, more anxious
How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health
Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep
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Transcript
Introduction and Services Offered
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, beautiful souls, and welcome back to another inst installment of the Growing With Soul podcast. My name is Marisol Moran, and I'm a certified life coach specializing in self-esteem and confidence. The Growing With Soul podcast focuses on continual growth and healing, especially in the small steps we take every single day.
00:00:17
Speaker
If you are looking to heal, if you are looking to grow and connect with your true self, this podcast is definitely for you. I am currently accepting clients, so if you are looking for support in reaching your goals or in building your confidence, click the link in the show notes to schedule your very own discovery call.
The Importance of Sleep for Mental Health
00:00:37
Speaker
In this episode of the Growing With So Podcast, we're going to be continuing on with the theme of mental health. And instead of taking a look at physical activity, we're now going to be looking at sleep, which is something that we all engage in.
00:00:48
Speaker
And i really wanted to deep dive and take a look at how sleep impacts our emotional regulation, as well as our overall mental health. And when it comes to sleep, not only is it something that we all do, or at least try to do,
00:01:03
Speaker
It's something that I feel like, especially those of us who are like 30 plus, we have almost like a fraught relationship with sleep where we're all just constantly tired.
00:01:15
Speaker
We don't feel like we maybe get enough sleep or like the sleep we do get just isn't all that great. And we're so busy that it feels like no matter how much we sleep on our time off, it's never enough.
00:01:28
Speaker
So I wanted you to take a deep dive into this to really see what's going on there.
Understanding Circadian Rhythm
00:01:33
Speaker
So before we begin, i want to take a look at the circadian rhythm, which is something that we all are familiar with. We've all have heard that term.
00:01:40
Speaker
But what exactly is it and what affects it? So essentially, as defined by theclevelandclinic.org, your circadian rhythm is the pattern your body follows based on a 24-hour day.
00:01:54
Speaker
It's the name given to your body's internal clock. This rhythm tells your body when to sleep and when to wake up. It also affects several other body processes, like your hormones, digestion, and body temperature.
00:02:08
Speaker
So let's pause and take a look at that. So your circuiting rhythm is what is regulating your sleep. it If it's consistent, you're gonna be going to sleep around the same time and feeling sleepy at that time.
00:02:22
Speaker
And then you're gonna be waking up around the same time all the time, naturally and rested.
Sleep's Impact on Hunger and Hormones
00:02:28
Speaker
So if you have ever woken up before your alarm clock, as annoying as that is, like if you've ever woken up And like, you're like, oh no, like what time is it? Let me check. So you check your phone and it's like, you're supposed wake up at 6 a.m. and it's like 5.45.
00:02:43
Speaker
five forty five Like, i want those 15 minutes. How dare you wake up that early body? Like, it's so annoying. But that's just kidding rhythm at work, doing its thing. Also, before we move on, I want to highlight that it affects your hormones, digestion, and temperature. So processes in your body that are essentially regulating your body.
00:03:05
Speaker
That is huge. That's the whole point of this podcast, this episode. We're talking about how sleep affects those things. Now, hormones affect practically everything in the body.
00:03:17
Speaker
I know that when I am lacking sleep, I am super hungry the next day and all I want are all the simple carbs everywhere. Give me all the cookies and brownies and bread because I just want the energy to keep me going.
00:03:31
Speaker
But as someone who is a huge listener of the model health show, and also I've read Shawn Stevenson's book, um e Eat Smarter, they talk about like one of the hormones, I think it's ghrelin that affects that. And like, that's the reason why when you're sleep deprived, you want to eat more, if I recall correctly.
00:03:48
Speaker
yeah, Sleep is important for all of those things. Digestion. How many of us are hot girls with tummy issues? Like, are you sleeping enough?
00:03:59
Speaker
So very important things. Another thing to notice or to take note of when it comes to the circadian rhythm is that it is sensitive to light. This is going to come in handy later on. So keep that, you know, and at the top of your mind.
00:04:12
Speaker
But additionally, when it comes to the circadian rhythm, it can be influenced by these other things. And that is food intake, stress, physical activity, temperature overnight or off hour work shifts, travel, certain medications, mental health conditions, health conditions involving your head or your brain, and poor sleep habits.
00:04:34
Speaker
So there are quite a bit of things in there that we do have within our control. Essentially, as pointed out by clevelandclinic.org, if adults practice healthy habits around sleep, they should have a consistent or kidding rhythm again.
00:04:50
Speaker
Going to sleep around the same time, waking up around the same time. So if you follow a regular schedule and get seven to nine hours of sleep at night, your bedtime, your wake time will be pretty stable.
Sleep and Emotional Well-being
00:05:02
Speaker
Now let's go ahead and look at the emotional aspect to it.
00:05:06
Speaker
So essentially, when we are not getting enough sleep, enough healthy sleep, key point there, enough healthy sleep, so quality sleep as well, where we're not getting enough of that, negative emotional reactivity seems to be significantly enhanced and positive reactions to positive events often are subdued.
00:05:24
Speaker
So essentially, when you're not getting enough quality sleep, You are a little bit more on edge. You are more likely to react negatively to negative events. So now definitely not calm, cool, and collected.
00:05:37
Speaker
And then when we're in that sleep-deprived state and positive things happen to us, we're not going to be able to meet the occasion with the happy...
00:05:52
Speaker
like happiness level that we should have, that celebratory, like embracing the win that you want to feel when something good happens. You're not going to have the energy to do that. And that just kind of sucks when you think about it.
00:06:05
Speaker
And ultimately, our lack of sleep can affect our anxiety and our depression, which if you're listening to this podcast, That probably means you because i know it means me. I deal with those things. I have dealt with those things.
00:06:20
Speaker
So as it described here, deprivation or disruption of sleep is both a common symptom of and a risk factor for a range of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders.
00:06:33
Speaker
So even after two nights of sleep deprivation, a significant increase in psychopathology scores have been found for bodily complaints, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. So essentially what I just said, when you sleep deprived or have a disruption in quality sleep, there is a chance that your experience of anxiety, depression, paranoia, even in this case, as we're seeing, can be increased.
00:07:00
Speaker
And nobody wants that. If you are already dealing with depression and anxiety,
00:07:07
Speaker
you don't want to make it worse for yourself. And I know it seems kind of weird, like how dare you say you're going to make it worse for yourself. But the thing is, there are things that we can do, again, to help ourselves.
00:07:19
Speaker
Maybe better habits, healthier habits around sleep in conjunction with, say, other types of treatment can really improve your overall mental health and quality of life.
00:07:31
Speaker
Just think about that. And to further hone in on that, not getting enough sleep or again, poor quality of sleep, because how many times have you gotten, say, seven to eight hours of sleep, but you wake up and you feel like trash?
00:07:50
Speaker
Like you wake up and you're just like, did I even sleep? Like, what even was that? Like, how many hours did I actually even sleep? well Why do I feel so horrible even though I had eight hours of sleep.
00:08:02
Speaker
It's because the quality wasn't so good. It was bad sleep. And when that happens, it can increase the risk for mental health disorders.
Insomnia and Psychiatric Disorders
00:08:11
Speaker
So while insomnia can be a symptom of psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, it is now recognized that sleep problems can also contribute to the onset and worsening of different mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.
00:08:28
Speaker
So now we're getting serious. That is a pretty, pretty important one. And again, i will link all of my references in the show notes. So we can see why having healthy sleep habits and getting enough quality sleep is extremely important for overall health and well-being.
00:08:48
Speaker
So what can we do to actually create a healthy sleep routine? Because we're all adults here. We've all been sleeping our whole lives. Clearly we know how to do this. So what is the issue here? What is getting in the way? Girl, a lot of things.
00:09:07
Speaker
So often what we can complain about or what we see people or even ourselves complaining about when it comes to not having the opportunity to get enough quality sleep, what like what what is getting in the way?
00:09:24
Speaker
Well, often what we see getting in the way could be maybe we don't have enough time. Maybe we're working a lot. um Maybe we're just having trouble falling asleep.
00:09:35
Speaker
You know, things like that. You know, maybe we go, we get into bed and we feel tired. We feel sleepy. We get into bed and then just like we just lay there with our eyes open staring at the ceiling. And it's like, what what is happening here that I can't fall asleep even though i'm sleepy? It could be a lot of different things, to be fair.
00:09:51
Speaker
But what can we do to help ourselves? So to give us a little bit of background, the American Academy of Sleep and Medicine recommends that adults sleep at least seven hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health and functioning, with most adults needing somewhere between seven to nine hours of sleep.
Nutrient Deficiencies and Sleep
00:10:13
Speaker
So if you're looking for a goal, how many hours do do you need? You're looking at about seven to nine.
00:10:21
Speaker
So what exactly can affect a healthy sleep routine? What can impact our quality of sleep? Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, our nutrition can get in the way of having quality sleep.
00:10:34
Speaker
And what we have found in certain studies is that deficits in nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K were associated with sleep problems.
00:10:49
Speaker
So One of the things that I had done for a while, and feel like it definitely helped me feel more rested, was taking magnesium at night.
00:11:00
Speaker
And like a glass of water, take my magnesium. And I definitely felt more rested. Again, that is anecdotal. But we're seeing here. that magnesium is one of those nutrients that can help with sleep. And when we have a deficit in it, it can impact the quality of our sleep.
00:11:18
Speaker
So taking a look at your diet, taking a look at the nutrients that you are taking in, and do you have a healthy diet? Do you have a diet that is maybe rich in fiber, rich in these nutrients, rich in these vitamins?
00:11:32
Speaker
You're taking calcium, movement magnesium at night. Can these things potentially help you? Something to consider. Additionally, what are other habits that we can do that can help us prepare to go to sleep, help us wind down? Because if we are running around and we're working two to three jobs, we got some relationship problems, we got work stress, we got family stress, we got economy stress.
00:11:58
Speaker
like How are you supposed to wind down and go to sleep when you're just got all these things going on? It's hard. It's hard out here.
Creating a Bedtime Routine
00:12:05
Speaker
We can create the lovely bedtime routine to help us get there.
00:12:10
Speaker
First and foremost, we've got to decide on a bedtime. And let's make it realistic. Because if you're the type of person that's like, I'm not going to go to sleep until midnight, girl, that is going to be the goal.
00:12:21
Speaker
Asleep by midnight. if you're going to go to sleep little bit earlier, great. Let's just be real with yourself. What is a realistic bedtime for you? Once we have that, we can then so make sure that we steer clear of screens about an hour or two before bedtime.
00:12:39
Speaker
And again, hour or two is what I would suggest, but also let's make it realistic because I'm guilty of this. I'm constantly on my phone, on my tablet, on my e-reader, on my computer. Like, I'm i'm on something.
00:12:53
Speaker
Like, if I'm not out walking mochi, I'm, like, on my phone. And even then, like, sometimes I listen to a podcast while I'm walking mochi. I'm not looking at a screen, but it's in my ear. Technology, like, I am a cyborg at this point, practically.
00:13:04
Speaker
So, if maybe an hour or two hours of no screens before going to sleep is too much, a little too cold turkey vibes, maybe do 30 minutes.
00:13:15
Speaker
And build up to an hour or two hours. But let's start putting the screens away so you don't get that blue light. And also sometimes you're watching stuff and it just like it hypes you up, you know?
00:13:27
Speaker
So you you don't want that. You want to be calm.
00:13:31
Speaker
Another thing that you can do, especially if you're looking to steer clear of screens, is to choose an activity that will help wind you down. Maybe for some of us, this is our skincare routine.
00:13:42
Speaker
Maybe it's listening to some lo-fi music or combining the two. i have a really bad habit, especially as of late, listening to the news and like listening to the news while I'm doing my skincare routine.
00:13:53
Speaker
But now I'm like listening to stuff about politics and like anxiety is going up. I'm supposed be going to sleep. not Not a good thing. Not a good vibe. So perhaps what I should do is take my own advice. And as I do my skincare, listen to some lovely lo-fi music instead.
00:14:08
Speaker
and Another thing that we can do is meditation, maybe some stretching or reading. i will tell you right now and that I sometimes like I go to bed because I know i have to wake up early.
00:14:19
Speaker
But I again, I'm like maybe some of you weren't just like laying in bed, like eyes wide open, can't fall asleep. The second I start reading, fall asleep. Like, unless it's a really good romantic and the enemies are about to become lovers, like, like I will, I will fall asleep. If it's a nonfiction book, I'm definitely gonna fall asleep.
00:14:40
Speaker
So maybe that's what you can do. Save your romantic for during the day. Save the enemies to lovers for during the day. And then when you have problems going to sleep, break out that nonfiction book.
00:14:51
Speaker
It'll put you to bed. Pro tip.
Setting a Calming Sleep Environment
00:14:55
Speaker
um Another thing about having a healthy and creating a healthy sleep routine is the environment that you sleep in. Now, this is going to be a little bit subjective for everybody because i had a client who before he could like wind down and like go to sleep for the night, everything had to be clean. Like the house needed to be tidy. That's a wonderful. And honestly, I wish I was a little bit more like that, but that's not who I am.
00:15:22
Speaker
But for me, I know that I need to have but actually I'm the type of person that if I'm tired, I'm going to fall asleep in water. Well, I could fall asleep with like the sun out. But I know it's healthier, much healthier for me to fall asleep when the room is actually dark.
00:15:39
Speaker
So making sure that the lights are off, making sure that maybe any blue light that's around is turned off. So like screens definitely. um But if you have like bright, like fluorescent lights or like LED d lights, if it's possible to maybe dim the lights,
00:15:57
Speaker
that's going to help so much to like trigger your body to essentially realize that it's time to go to sleep. One of the things that I actually really like to do, so I have a, you know, those are alarm clocks that have the light where it mimics sunrise, like 20 minutes before you wake up, like the light starts to like slowly brighten.
00:16:19
Speaker
It does essentially the same thing where I can set a timer for 20 minutes and then the light slowly starts to dim into darkness. But also the same light, I can turn it on and I can dim or like heighten the light. But it's like a nice warm yellow light.
00:16:38
Speaker
So I turn, basically what I do, I turn off the big light and then I put on the little light at night so that my body starts to realize that like I'm done working. I'm done watching stressful things. I'm going to just relax, go to bed and, you know, save all the stressful things for later.
00:17:00
Speaker
So ultimately, when it comes to creating a healthy bedtime routine, we can take a macro look and look at our nutrition, look at our diet to see what might be missing, to see what we might be able to add and to overall support.
00:17:15
Speaker
a healthy sleep system, we can, again, within that macro level, look at what are we doing that might be impacting or negatively impacting our circadian rhythm. And then from there, take a more focused look at what are we doing right before we go to sleep?
00:17:30
Speaker
And how can we improve that? How can we help ourselves relax and go to bed? And what are those things for us? Maybe choosing a bedtime, no screens,
00:17:42
Speaker
a potentially calming activity, and then making sure that all the lights are off so that you are in darkness.
Closing and Listener Engagement
00:17:52
Speaker
Thank you for tuning in this episode. If it resonated with you, make sure to subscribe and to leave a review. Also, if you want to get some more insights from me, follow me on Instagram and on TikTok. The handle is the same at your coach Mari. And again, if you are looking for support, I am accepting the clients so you can schedule your very own discovery call through the link in my show notes.
00:18:14
Speaker
Until next time, keep growing.