Tips for When Depression or Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Tips for When Depression or Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Video: Bipolar and Love Relationships: 5 Things We Want Our Partner To Know
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

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Tips for When Depression or Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night

Do you have insomnia because of your depression or anxiety?

Insomnia keeps our brain from enjoying a break from its own thoughts, emotions, and conscious activity. We deal with a lot during the day. Is it too much to ask to have a break at night?

It is not too much to ask, for sleep is vital to our mental and physical health. However, many of us toss and turn, restless and fretting, for much of the night. Consider these eye-opening statistics:

• About 30% of people struggle with insomnia
• Over 50% of Americans suffer sleep deprivation due to stress and/or anxiety (connection between anxiety and insomnia)
• 90% of people who live with depression also experience insomnia

This connection between insomnia and mental health is problematic because it creates a vicious cycle. Sleep deprivation makes anxiety, depression, and other challenges worse, and the stress of depression and anxiety exacerbates sleep troubles.

When facing insomnia, try these soothing tactics:

• Breathe slowly and deeply
• Listen to soothing sounds like nature or white noise, and visualize a peaceful setting or image
• Use mindfulness by focusing on what you sense right now
• Do progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and relaxing all of your muscle groups from your feet up to your head

The key is to be gentle with yourself and let your brain and body rest. Relaxation is soothing to the brain stressed by anxiety and depression, and relaxation often leads to sleep.

Related Articles Dealing with Insomnia and Mental Health

• Sleep Disorder Treatment for Sleep Problems and Depression
• Anxiety and Sleep Disorders
• Nighttime Anxiety and Getting Back to Sleep
• Solutions for Bipolar and Insomnia: I Can’t Sleep
• Sleep Deprivation with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Insomnia Test: Do I Have Insomnia?

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you have insomnia, what helps you get to sleep? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experience, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Why It's Hard to Be Confident When You Live with Bipolar
• How to Healthily Take Alone Time
• Understanding Binge Eating Disorder Development for Recovery
• How to Heal from Borderline Personality Disorder Splitting
• Is a Minor Illness Making Your Depression Worse?
• How Alcohol Abuse Affects Women
• Get Help for Schizoaffective Disorder: Running vs Walking
• Do You Need Therapy for Anxiety? Decide Using this Checklist
• How to Cope with Stress and Depression
• Should I Disclose My Mental Illness on a Job Application?
• The Low Self-Esteem and Self-Harm Connection
• Abuse in Movies: How These 5 Protagonists Prevail
• How to Transition Your Teen from Inpatient Psychiatric Care

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

I'm Hannah. I Have Bipolar 2

Bipolar and Love Relationships: 5 Things We Want Our Partner To Know

When you live with bipolar disorder, love relationships can be challenging. It is difficult for our partners to understand our condition and the way in which stigma affects our lives on a daily basis. . (Watch Hannah)

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline Helps Anyone with Depression
2. Stop the Stigma of Substance Abuse: Six Things Anyone Can Do
3. Effects of PTSD on Relationships If Both Partners Have PTSD

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"When she is happy, she can't stop talking. When she is sad, she doesn't say a word."

Read more bipolar quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or google+) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, circle HealthyPlace on Google+, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Pinterest and share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index