The National Sleep Foundation has designated March 9-15 as National Sleep Awareness Week

to highlight the importance of sleep for healthy, everyday living. Sleep is essential for our physical well-being, with benefits like getting sick less often and reducing stress throughout the day. However, about one in three Americans don’t get enough sleep each night, and this can lead to physical and mental health issues and even injuries.

Sleep is crucial for nurses. Hospital nurses can work up to 12-hour shifts, but when night shifts are added, sleep patterns may be disrupted. This can result in insomnia and reduced work performance.

Nurses don’t have to “get by” with little sleep. With the right strategies tailored for them, they can sleep deeply and get the rest they need and deserve.

How Does Sleep Impact Mental Mealth?

Quality sleep is crucial for physical health, including heart health and a stable metabolism. Mental health is also linked to sleep quality.

When you don’t get enough sleep, it can affect everything from how the body functions to how you feel. On a bad night’s sleep, you may feel sluggish, slow, cranky, miserable, and easily irritable.

This is how sleep affects mental health. Sleep is a cleansing process in which the body removes toxins from the brain and other vital organs. Sleep also helps regulate emotions and process memories from the previous day, which is why you feel sharp and energized after a full night of rest.

How many hours you sleep is essential for your health, but the quality of your sleep matters, too. Quality sleep is linked to deep sleep, the stage of sleep where your body heals itself. Deep sleep is also responsible for regulating memories and improving immune function so you don’t get sick as often, something that’s important for nurses working with ill patients.

It can be difficult for nurses who work night or rotating shifts to get good sleep. Although it can be difficult to get restorative sleep on a shifting schedule, many nurses have made changes in how they sleep to ensure they get enough rest and energy for the days ahead. And if they can do it, you can, too.

What are Some Ways to Get Quality Sleep?

Insomnia can be a beast to overcome, but with sleep hygiene solutions and small improvements over time, you can sleep like a baby.

Use these tips to adjust your sleep and find the rest your body needs.

Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Shift work can alter the body’s natural sleep cycle or circadian rhythm. Our body’s response system tells us when we’re supposed to be awake or asleep.

Maintaining a steady sleep schedule where you wake up and fall asleep at the same time can realign this cycle back to its place. Even on weekends, when you feel like sleeping in, it’s good to wake up at the same time so that your body knows it is adjusted to a set schedule.

If you’re finding this advice hard as a night shift nurse, try to get a nap in before you start the night shift so that you don’t fall asleep at work. Falling asleep on the job can be dangerous, so getting a quick nap can ensure you’re alert. You can sleep right after your night shift ends so your body can recover.

Create a Bedtime Ritual

Ruminating when your head hits the pillow is easy if you’re stressing about something. However, rumination before sleep can lead to anxiety and worry that can keep you up.

To avoid this, create a relaxing pre-bed ritual that will put you at ease and worry-free. Write down your ruminating thoughts in a journal, and engage in calming activities that can put your mind at rest.

Some types of these activities can include:

Drinking herbal teas
Practicing slow movements like yoga
Engaging in mindfulness meditation
Taking a warm bath
Reading a slow-paced book

You can also try other ways to relax before bed. One strategy that can help facilitate downtime is putting your phone away an hour before you head to sleep. The blue light from your phone can promote wakefulness and cause you to stay up later than you want.

Improving the quality of your sleep isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Your sleep needs are personal, so do what feels right to ensure you get the rest you deserve.

The post How to Get Quality Sleep for Better Mental Health first appeared on Daily Nurse.