Self-help includes activities we undertake to take care of our personal needs and well-being. It might sound simple but ironically, it’s something we most often don’t pay heed to.
Self-care should be part of everybody’s routine because it helps us refresh, recharge and rejuvenate. So, what does your self-care routine look like?
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Good Sleep • Good Diet • Good intake of water •Exercise • Social Connectedness • Social Service/Volunteering • Recreation • Spirituality
Sleep
There is so much more to a good night’s sleep. Good sleep is crucial for mental and emotional health. Evidence shows that sleep enables better thinking, learning, and memory and facilitates the brain’s processing of emotional information. A study looking at several countries in Asia revealed that about 5 in 100 Indians (above the age of 50) suffer from sleep disorders. [8] Sleep- disorders can also be grouped according to behaviours, problems with your natural sleep-wake cycles, breathing problems, difficulty sleeping or how sleepy you feel during the day. It is a fact that there is a bidirectional relationship between mental health and sleep. Sleep disturbances occur as a consequence of many mental health conditions. Poor sleep has also been seen to play a role in the development and progression of different mental health problems. Early intervention and treatment of sleep problems are shown to have demonstrable effects on reducing the risk of depression. People with anxiety tend to experience more sleep disturbances which are induced by hyperarousal.
It is thus very important to address sleep disorders. We can promote sleep hygiene by following a set of simple to follow recommendations
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Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep before bedtime • Comfortable noise-free sleep environment • Exercise during daytime • Reduce use of mobile phones before bedtime