Roundtables #16 – May is Better Sleep Month! How has sleep impacted your mental health & how are you committing to getting better sleep this month?

Anabella Garcia: It goes without saying that sleep is an essential part of our lives and should not be forgotten about. However, I also believe that the type of sleep that you are getting says a lot about your mental health. Am I sleeping too much or too little? Is sleeping simply a task I have to cross off my to-do list? How I approach sleep has definitely been a huge indicator of the state of my mental health. When I notice that I am sleeping too much during the day and at night, I begin thinking about what may be causing this new pattern. On the other hand, when I can’t sleep at all and just lay in bed with my thoughts, I also reevaluate my mental health and devise a plan to improve upon it.

This being said, I have gained awareness of how important quality sleep is for my mental health throughout my mental health journey. Waking up refreshed and energized to take on the day completely changes my initial perspective in the morning. I have started to make intentional decisions that ensure that I obtain the type of sleep that I need. For example, I have started to get in bed earlier no matter what tasks I may have to put off. There is a huge difference between getting up from your desk at 10:00 pm versus at 1:00 am.  This simple step allows my brain to begin to relax before I fall asleep, resulting in better sleep overall. Before I saw the negative effects of staying up until 4:00 am staring into space, I did nothing to fix it. But I’m asking you to look out for yourself and get the quality sleep that you deserve.

Mikaela Brewer: Sleep has honestly been the puzzle piece I’ve struggled with the most. In university, I went through periods of sleeping less than 3-4 hours per night, partially due to clinical depression and OCD. Sleep is something I cast aside until I realized that the reality is, sleep deprivation takes years off of your life. 

I’ve never been one to sleep a lot (there is an interesting read here about how some people genetically need less sleep) — I function well with 6-7 hours. I also know that getting enough sleep helps me subdue the severity of my depressive episodes. The important note here is self-awareness. Check-in with yourself — keep a record of how much you sleep and how you feel as a result. 

I recently read through an athlete-specific article about sleep disorders by Michael Grander, though he explained sleep’s place, for anyone, extremely well. I didn’t think of sleep as anything more than passive rest (it is the opposite). Our body is only able to conduct certain processes while we’re sleeping. These aren’t just any processes either — they are some of the most crucial ones — emotional management, memory consolidation, and hormone regulation that impacts growth, repair, hunger, appetite, stress, healing, and biological rhythms. Damn. 

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia are also more common than you think, and in many cases, they develop because of the volume of demands competing for our time. This is where that self-awareness of our environment comes in. Ask yourself what might be impeding the time you should be allocating to sleep. Insomnia can increase the risk of substance use and depression; sleep apnea is often associated with cardiovascular disease, neurological complications, and diabetes; and getting enough sleep is preventative in many ways (‘A Rinsing of the Brain.’ New Research Shows How Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease). 

It seems scary when doctors say that we should be sleeping for nearly a third of our lives. It makes our time on this Earth feel much shorter than it already is. Think of it this way: better sleep energizes those other two-thirds of life that you’re awake for, and increases the likelihood that you retain the memories within them. I’m committing to 7+ hours this month (and hopefully in months to come!). I recommend making a sleeping plan too.

Caleb Izaguirre: Sleep and mental health are very related. Sleep deprivation will affect your psychological and mental state. Those with pre-existing mental health risks are also more likely to have insomnia and/or other sleep disorders.

Sleep has impacted my mental health dramatically, and recently, I’ve implemented several measures to ensure that I not only get a healthy number of hours of rest, but also an early start to my day.

I don’t eat meals after 6:30 pm and if I do, it is typically yogurt or small fruits. Then I begin my settling in which involves brushing my teeth or taking any allergy relief medication. Right before I go to bed I check my email and LinkedIn for the final time and close any conversations that I have open.

As I settle in, after clambering on my bed and putting the covers over myself, I usually think of a song to get acquainted with at night.

A typical night of sleep for me involves getting a solid eight hours or more. This is the least portion of recommended hours for teenagers ages seventeen and older so this is why I try to aim higher.

When I go to bed at 9:30, which I do most nights, I begin my almost eight hours of rest. This is also considering the several naps I take during each month. Naps are important and they help you conserve and improve your mental productivity and energy. You wouldn’t want to be caught off guard at work or in your studies and have to forfeit important information.

My nights are comfortable because the final piece of your bedtime routine should inevitably be sleeping in your bed. This should be the last thing you do because the brain should be aware that a bed is a place of peace and slumber.

Jennifer Vu: Sleep and school are never one to be best friends. A normal (pre-COVID) school day consists of getting up at 6 am, going to school from 7:30 am to 3 pm, practice until 5 pm, getting home, eating dinner at 6 pm, doing my homework until 10, studying for the next test I have, maybe fitting in a volunteering opportunity, talking to my friends for a little bit, and getting ready for bed by 1 or 2 am in the morning. Then I repeat this cycle every day for ten months. 

I am fearful of not having the time to do any urgent assignments. I turn my work in at least two days before it’s due to make time for other tasks (spoiler alert: I still have no time). This often leaves me consistently stressed and unmotivated. I wonder if my teachers think about the constant stress we experience each day when they assign twenty pages of textbook notes, a seven-page-long math packet, and an essay, all due at 11:59 pm. 

The hours of sleep a teenager needs is about 9-9.5 hours per night, which is about twice as long as my typical sleep schedule. The lack of sleep results in problems with memory, attention, and creativity, all of which are so important in succeeding in school. How are we supposed to function well in school if loads of assignments consume us and our sleep schedule each day?

One thing I already do to repair the lack of sleep is taking quick naps on a light day. Funny thing is, I’m writing this just after waking up from one. In my experience, naps are incredibly refreshing, as they are beneficial to our minds. A thirty-minute sleep should be able to help us stay alert and maintain cognitive performance. 

For about a year now, I rely on caffeine to help me stay awake, even past 3 am in the morning. I recently stopped drinking coffee because of the heart problems I was experiencing. Although I’m still getting used to the drowsiness I feel throughout the day, my sleep schedule has improved to the point where I’ll wake up and be ready to start the day with nothing holding me back.

My academic priorities affect my sleep schedule heavily. This seems motivating to my peers, but in reality, it is unhealthy for my mind. To improve this issue, I should manage my time as much as possible to move toward a sleep schedule that works for me and my body.

Artwork created by: Saavi Shinde