3 Common Reasons of Negativity

According to a study at a university, there are 4 elements that create negative thinking: Regret and Shame, Negative Expressions, Lack of Confidence, and Criticism Towards Others. If we sum it up, the following 3 reasons are the most common triggers for negative thinking.

Severe Long-Term Stress

Stress can be a direct cause of negativity. When we mess up at work/school or can’t perform well, negativity takes over our minds, making less room for positivity to grow. If we surround ourselves with negative people, sometimes we end up being heavily influenced by them too.

Past Traumatic Experiences

Past trauma can impact us in many ways. A person full of optimism and positivity can suddenly change negatively due to shocking incidents. Some people can fall into a negative trap where they can’t believe in anyone after experiencing betrayal from someone they used to trust.

Hormonal Imbalance Due To Poor Lifstyle Choices

A neurological chemical called serotonin has to do a lot with our emotional control and stability. A lack of serotonin not only makes us less energetic, but it can also make us negative too. For your body to properly produce serotonin, a stress-free lifestyle with exercise, a healthy diet, and sunlight becomes crucial. If we can shift our lifestyle with healthier lifestyle habits that promote serotonin, that can push our minds back towards positivity.

3 Reasons Sleep Heals Negativity

Typically, if the cause of our problems is clear, we’d have to fix that first. However, causes such as past trauma or long-term stress cannot be fixed overnight and that can feel like a struggle. Therefore, we advise that you start easy with getting plenty of sleep. In this section, we’ll explain how sleep can heal negativity within our minds.

It Heals the Physical Body and Brain

The brain can rest and condition the body’s hormonal balance when it goes to sleep. A well-balanced hormonal function can fight negativity and build stress resilience towards the incoming negativity we experience.

The body needs to feel energized enough before we start exercising towards a healthy serotonin function. Sleep also helps our whole body restore itself. Without fundamental sleep, it’s hard to make the change we desire.

Leads To Better Lifstyle Habits

A structured sleeping schedule, sunlight, and a healthy diet all contribute towards getting rid of our negativity. A good night’s rest promotes serotonin secretion which helps us back to positivity. Good sleep also helps us stay efficient during the day. Most of us have pulled all-nighters during the weekday only to try and catch up on sleep during the weekends. We can start working on positivity today, just by starting off a healthy sleeping schedule.

Stops The Negativity Loop

Once we fall into a negativity loop our problems seem infinitely larger than what they are. We need to reset our minds so that we can shift gears towards positivity. To easily do this, we recommend sleep.

When we sleep, our thoughts are forced to shut down and we can leave from thinking so much. This gives us the capability to look at things more objectively and calmly when we wake up.

If you have a hard time sleeping, an AI app can help you sort your thoughts through too. Try the SELF MIND app for a FREE trial!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Sleep Well for a Healthy Mind and Body

Good sleep nourishes our brain and body while it puts our negative thinking on hold. It’s a necessary step for proper serotonin secretion and the key to stopping the negativity. Next time you feel negative and down, stop what you’re doing and go to bed.

Reference：

Akutsu, Y., Odajima, H., & Miya, S. (2008). Changes of positive and negative affect by a stress task. The Annual Report of the Faculty of Education, Iwate University, 68, 1–8. https://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000000001712-00

Konishi, M., & Yoshida, A. (2011). Life style and environment that influence serotonin secretion. Journal of Osaka Kawasaki Rehabilitation University, 5, 1–20. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120006866960

Shiraishi, S., Soma, H., & Shimazu, N. (2016). Characteristics of Japanese automatic thoughts in negative situations. Utsunomiya University Repository, 66(1), 3–12. http://hdl.handle.net/10241/10240

The post How Sleep Heals Our Negative Thoughts appeared first on SELF MIND.

The Basics of Insomnia

Generally, insomnia is defined by a lack of proper sleep for over a month with symptoms of fatigue, decreased motivation, decreased concentration, and loss of appetite. The cause of insomnia varies, including but not limited to day-to-day stress, psychological illnesses, or side effects of medication.

The hours of sleep required for a healthy lifestyle varies from person to person. Some people will feel sleepy during the day even after 8 hours of sleep and some people will function perfectly fine on just 3 hours of sleep. It’s also known that our necessary sleep time for health changes with age. It’s natural to require less sleep as we age, so sleeping difficulties are less of a concern when we age. These natural changes are not indicative of insomnia.

Check out the article below for more details on the basics of insomnia.

When we experience continuous sleepless nights, many of us try to spend more time in bed to maximize rest. However, this may lead our brain to signal our “place of sleep” (a.k.a the bed) as a place of activity or wakefulness, leading to further sleeplessness.

“Sleep scheduling,” allows the brain to understand the bed as a place reserved only for sleeping. The following points become important to achieve this:
・Spend time outside of bed until you actually feel sleepy
・Do not try and go to bed until you actually feel sleepy
・If you are struggling to sleep, get out of bed

What is Sleep Scheduling?

Sleep scheduling is an effective approach for people who experience daytime discomforts due to long term insomnia. If you are not currently experiencing any symptoms of insomnia, be careful as this may disrupt your sleep cycle.

1. Understand Sleep Efficiency

Before we implement a sleep schedule, we must first understand our sleep habits. It’s important to know how long it actually takes to fall asleep once we get into bed and how long the sleep felt when we wake up the next morning. A good way to do this is by keeping a “sleep journal” to record our everyday sleep habits. Once there’s a good understanding of our sleep habits, we can calculate sleep efficiency (the ratio of our actual sleep over time spent in bed). Use the equation below to calculate your sleep efficiency.

For example, if you got in bed at 10:00 PM and woke up at 8:00 AM the next morning, you will have spent 10 hours in bed. Within that time, let’s say you felt like you actually got 6 hours of sleep. In this case, your sleep efficiency would be 60%. The goal is to achieve an average of 85% or more for adequate weekly sleep efficiency.

2. Go To Bed Later to Improve Sleep Efficiency

Once we grasp a good idea of sleep efficiency, adjust bedtime to 15 – 30 minutes before the actual sleep time in order to get closer to the 85% average sleep efficiency. If, as in the example above, you sleep for 6 hours and wake up at 8:00 AM, you should adjust bedtime to be at 1:30 – 1:45 AM. Until then, spend time outside of the bedroom to condition your body and brain to believe that the bed is strictly for sleeping only.

3. Gradually Lengthen Sleep Hours

Once the average weekly sleep efficiency exceeds 85%, gradually increase sleep time by either going to bed 15 minutes earlier or waking up 15 minutes later. Aim for a sleep duration that will not negatively impact daytime activities. These adjustments to our sleeping habits may temporarily make us go to bed later and wake up earlier. However, concentrated sleep hours can improve our subjective satisfaction towards sleep quality

Sleep scheduling can be an effective way to improve insomnia, but the root cause of it still needs to be addressed. If insomnia is caused by illness or side effects of medication, we should make improvements based on the guidance of a professional doctor. Make sure to carefully determine the cause of sleeplessness, before taking appropriate measures for improvement.

Better Sleep Habits Lead to More Fulfillment

Sleep is a vital behavior to our health that sustains life. Sleep also occupies one-third of our lives. Good sleep habits help us maintain good physical and mental health. It contributes to our ability to reach full potential and further grow.

It’s not easy to change the lifestyle we already have to adjust for better sleep. Although, with its benefits of creating a healthier and more fulfilling life, it will be well worth the effort.

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image: Unsplash
References:
Munezawa, T., & Mishima, K. (2009). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia. Journal of Mental Health, 55, 71-78.

National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. Support Manual for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Problems. Retrieved from: https://www.ncnp.go.jp/nimh/behavior/phn/sleep_manual.pdf

The post Sleep Scheduling: Say Goodbye To Sleepless Nights appeared first on SELF MIND.

The Different Insomnia Types

Generally, insomnia is defined by a lack of proper sleep for over a month. Symptoms include fatigue, decreased motivation, decreased concentration, and loss of appetite during waking hours. The cause of insomnia varies, including but not limited to day-to-day stress, psychological illnesses, or side effects of medication. In fact, the duration of sleep is not very important in the definition of insomnia. What matters is whether or not you feel unwell during the day. Many experts agree that even if the actual duration of sleep is short, it is not a problem as long as there are no negative symptoms during the day.

Following this, there are several insomnia types.

・Sleep Onset Insomnia: Struggling to fall asleep, no matter how hard you try, even though it’s night time and you’re in bed.
・Sleep Maintenance Insomnia: Waking up multiple times throughout the night.
・Sleep Offset Insomnia: Waking up too early in the morning or earlier than intended, and struggling to fall back asleep.
・Nonrestorative Sleep: Lack of feeling rested even though you should have gotten enough sleep.

If these symptoms persist, you may eventually develop a dislike towards the act of going to sleep or sleep itself. This can lead to a vicious cycle of tension when falling asleep and a strong sense of commitment to sleep. Consequently, this worsens the symptoms of each of the insomnia types.

Don’t Worry if You Can’t Sleep

All of us have, at least once, experienced the feeling of being unable to sleep even though you want to. Moreover, it is possible for anyone to experience these symptoms for a few days in a row. However, this alone does not mean you have insomnia. Even if you had trouble sleeping for 2 to 3 days, as long as you feel OK during the day, it shouldn’t be too much to worry about. In fact, worrying about “what if I have insomnia?” might actually lead to tension before sleep, potentially leading yourself into a chronic pattern of insomnia.

To avoid falling into any of the insomnia types, try not to stress about it, even if you can’t sleep. The key to maintaining a healthy sleep is to think positively, relax your body, and tell yourself, “maybe I’m having trouble sleeping today, but tomorrow will be just fine.”

How Much Should We Sleep, Anyway?

The hours of sleep required for a healthy lifestyle varies from person to person. Some people will feel sleepy during the day even though they got 7 hours the night before. Conversely, some people will function perfectly fine on just 3 hours of solid sleep. Many people who have trouble sleeping believe that they need to get more than 6 hours for it to be healthy sleep. In this way, they end up raising the bar for themselves regarding the duration and quality of their sleep. However, the hours required for a healthy sleep varies from person to person. Therefore, there is no need to apply generalizations to your own sleep and stress about the exact hours of sleep you are getting.

It is also important to remember that the amount of sleep you need to maintain good health changes with age. This is due to changes in the body’s internal clock caused by aging. The typical nighttime sleep duration is 8 to 9 hours up to age 10, about 8 hours at age 15, about 7 hours at age 25, about 6.5 hours at age 45, and about 6 hours at age 65. In other words, it is quite natural for us to need less sleep as we age. Therefore, there is no need for much concern if you find it harder to sleep than when you were younger.

How to Escape Those Sleepless Nights

In order to improve your sleeping habits, it is most important to get your body into a “sleep-friendly” state before going to bed. To achieve this, it is necessary to relax your body and mind and create an environment suitable for sleep. It is also important to eliminate any elements that may interfere with sleep as much as possible.

Here are some ways to improve your sleep that you can try right away.

Wake up at the same time and bathe in sunlight

The human brain switches from “sleep mode” to “waking mode” when exposed to sunlight after waking up. It is also believed that people generally begin to feel sleepy 14 to 16 hours after waking up. In other words, by waking up at the same time every morning and exposing yourself to sunlight, your body can become accustomed to your lifestyle rhythm, becoming sleepy at the same time every night. The important thing is to keep your waking time the same even if your bedtime is later. This way, even if you stay up late, your body clock will not be disturbed and you will be able to maintain your daily rhythm.

Only get in bed once you are sleepy

It’s hard to fall asleep when your body and brain aren’t ready for it. Thinking that you have to sleep immediately creates tension in your body and mind, making it even harder to sleep. Firstly, try to relax both your body and mind, and only get in bed when you naturally feel like sleeping. Moreover, avoid spending time in bed unless you are going to sleep. If you spend time on your bed when you don’t intend to sleep, your brain will begin to recognize it as a place of activity. Consequently, it will be difficult to switch your brain to “sleep mode” when you are actually ready to sleep.

Relax your mind and body

For a good night’s sleep, it is of utmost importance to relax both your body and mind. Try to relax by doing some light stretching before bedtime or lighting candles with relaxing scents. Another tip is taking a bath 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. This will help lower your body temperature and make it easier to fall asleep.

Things to avoid before sleep

Refrain as much as possible from activities that may interfere with falling asleep. It is said that the blue light emitted by TV and smartphone screens have the effect of waking up the brain. Refrain from watching TV or using using your phone before going to bed. Moreover, nicotine in cigarettes and caffeine in coffee and other beverages also have the effect of waking the brain, so it is best to avoid these before bedtime. Intense exercise also causes the body to release adrenaline, a stimulant that makes it difficult for the brain to sleep. When exercising to relax, try to keep it to light stretching.

In order to get rid of any of these insomnia types, it is important to face your own sleeping habits with the correct understanding and to practice habits for better sleep. However, there are various causes of insomnia that plague many people today. Depending on the cause, it may not be possible to solve the problem by one’s own efforts alone. If your insomnia is the byproduct of mental or physical illness, or a side effect of medication, you may need to improve it under the guidance of a professional doctor.

Say Goodbye to Sleeplessness!

Sleep is a health behavior that is essential for humans to sustain life. It also occupies so much time in our lives that most people spend one-third of their lives sleeping. Having a good sleep habit will help you maintain good physical and mental health throughout your life. Subsequently, it will contribute to your ability to reach your full potential and achieve further growth.

It may not be easy to change the lifestyle habits that are already ingrained in your body and develop better sleeping habits. But if you think that it will make your life healthier and more fulfilling, it will be well worth the effort.

→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image:Unsplash
References:
Munezawa, T., & Mishima, K. (2009). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia. Journal of Mental Health, 55, 71-78.

Uchiyama, M. (2010). Clinical Managements of Insomnia and Hypersomnia. Journal of Nihon University Medical Association 69(1), 11-16. doi: 10.4264/numa.69.11

The post Insomnia Types and How to Deal with Them appeared first on SELF MIND.