Sleep

It is common to have sleeping difficulties when you’re depressed.  Here are some dos and don’ts that may help you get a good night’s sleep.  Some may be easier said than done, but don’t try and do it all at once. Pick one or two things that you can change and you may find they make a huge difference.

  1. As hard as it seems worrying about not sleeping just makes it even harder to get to sleep. You need less sleep than you think you do
  2. If you’ve got a lot on your mind and a busy day / week ahead try writing a ‘to do’ list before you go to bed. Also, write down the next step you need to take. That will hopefully put them out of your mind for the night.
  3. If you find yourself thinking over things while in bed tell yourself that you’ve got it under control and will deal with it in the morning. If your worries are really persistent, write them down. Keep a notepad beside your bed so that it’s handy.
  1. Don’t lie in bed for more than 15 minutes when you can’t sleep. 
  2. Get up. Walk around your room. Make yourself a camomile tea or milky drink. Do something calm and relaxing like reading.
  3. Head back to bed and see if that helps.
  1. Turn your mobile off. Being woken up by a text in the wee early hours aint going to help!
  2. Don’t stay up late on the computer. In fact, don’t do anything that is going to stimulate your brain immediately before going to bed. Computers and TV are not a good idea, as the flashing pictures and colours just keep your brain alert.
  1. Establish regular times for going to bed and getting up, so that your body and brain recognise when it is time for sleep. 
  2. Limit naps during the day. Every hour you sleep during the day will mean more time you are awake at night, so unless you have another health condition which means you need more sleep than on average, resist the temptation. 
  3. Resist the temptation to stay up all night and turn night into day.   This will make your sleep problems worse.
  1. Doing physical exercise during the day can help you get a good night’s sleep, but try not to exercise within 2 hours of going to bed. Exercise sends endorphins around your body which act as a stimulant.
  1. Avoid eating heavy meals just before going to bed as well. Your digestive system will need to work hard to digest the food, and to do this it needs to keep your body alert.
  2. A warm milky drink or herbal tea such as camomile which is supposed to induce sleep can be helpful though. Our brain often mistakes thirst for hunger, and we end up snacking when our body just needs some water - so try a drink before food.
  3. It can be hard to resist drinking coffee, coke and energy drinks during the day if you’re already tired but this can make your sleep problem worse. All of these drinks have high levels of caffeine in them, which will keep you awake. 
  4. Watch what you snack on as well – chocolate has caffeine in it, especially the dark stuff! Maybe set a cut-off time during the afternoon when you won’t have any more and try and stick to it.
  5. Same goes with alcohol and cigarettes. While you might think that they help calm you, they can make sleep problems worse. Nicotine is a stimulant, and alcohol disrupts sleep, causing you to wake more easily. Not least of all because you need to pee more.

Want to know more about getting a good night’s sleep?

Download our factsheet (PDF file)