sleep benefits
Sleep is the best meditation.
Dalai Lama
You might say sleep is kind of like… broccoli.
We know it’s good for us. We’re just not sure exactly why.
And just as broccoli likely has many specific nutritional benefits…
Sleep has some pretty impressive emotional wellness benefits.
Let’s talk about ’em.
Today we’re continuing our sleep series by highlighting 5 ways sleep benefits your emotional wellness:
1) Sleep helps address existing anxiety and depression
Sleep disorders, such as insomnia, tend to co-occur with anxiety and depression at high rates. The good news? By improving your sleep, you’re likely to experience improvements in your emotional wellness over time, too.
2) Sleep helps protect against future emotional wellness problems
Even if you’re not currently experiencing any emotional difficulties, sleep is still a worthwhile area of self-care to focus on. Consistent, restful sleep habits have been linked to greater resilience, which means you’ll be better able to cope with future stressors that may come up.
3) Sleep helps improve attention and concentration
Research points to sleep’s role in helping children and adults with ADHD engage more effectively in sustained-attention activities in school and at work. But the connection doesn’t end there: Even those without an ADHD diagnosis show improvements in attention and concentration when they’re sleeping better.
4) Sleep helps with recovery from stressful experiences
Trauma recovery often is a complex, gradual process. Multiple factors can influence the trajectory of a person’s recovery from a stressful experience… and sleep seems to be one of them. Studies of prisoners of war have tied sleep to greater resilience and recovery over time, and the same is evident in studies of less extreme circumstances. In short: Stress is inevitable, but sleep helps us manage it.
5) Sleep helps us thrive
Are there benefits to sleep, above and beyond its protection against problems? Absolutely! Sleep has also been linked to improved creativity, lightheartedness, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and savoring of pleasurable experiences. So, sleep doesn’t merely allow us to survive… it helps us thrive, as well!
Enjoy this post? You might also like:
How to Practice Gratitude When You’re Not Feeling Particularly Grateful
Self-Compassion: 4 Ways to Start Practicing It Today
Your Emotional Wellness: 50+ Ways to Support It
Want to learn more about how sleep benefits your emotional wellness?