S is for Sleep

An old joke, often seen reproduced on items like fridge magnets, has a woman saying, 'sometimes I wake up grumpy, other days I let him sleep!' If I am very tired I wake up grumpy. I also find tiredness produces symptoms that impact profoundly on my mental health. Simply put, tiredness exacerbates my symptoms; specifically, in my case, my anxieties are hugely magnified by fatigue.

Adequate sleep is essential for everyone at the best of times. I suggest that for the mental health patient and those recovering from mental illness, sleep is not simply essential it is elemental.

I can only share my experiences by way of offering advice to those who share this journey. I avoid looking at a computer screen after about 6 in the evening. I often have a bath before bed and as I enjoy a soak I burn incense and listen to my radio. This, I suggest, serves to illustrate that all of the senses are in need of soothing to aid relaxation in order to facilitate the relaxation necessary to aid sleep. Hot chocolate is also a good unwind - it feels like an indulgent treat at bed time and if taken regularly, in my experience, the body becomes trained to see the drink as a precursor to sleep, a subliminal message if you like.

I also sleep with the window open, I love the fresh air and it has the added advantage that in the early morning you hear the birds sing. The birds have sung the dawn chorus for centuries, a timely reminder that however anxious we may become, most things over time are resolvable in a much more positive manner than our dark thoughts urge us otherwise to believe. There really is nothing much new under the sun, a comforting realisation in itself but one which is much more likely to spring into our minds if we have slept well and avoid tiredness.