Focus on the Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing (QQRT) of your sleep, as these are fundamental pillars for optimizing emotional reactivity and overall mental balance.
Match your sleep and wake times to your natural chronotype (your individual 24-hour rhythm) to reduce the risk and symptoms of depression; use the free MEQ questionnaire to determine your chronotype.
Get as much light as possible, especially sunlight, in your eyes in the morning and throughout the day to reduce mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Ensure you are in very dim or dark environments at night to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, even if daylight exposure during the day was suboptimal.
Treat artificial light from screens and other sources at night as ‘junk light’ or ’empty photons’ and avoid it to protect your sleep quality and overall well-being.
To enhance rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep an extra 15-20 minutes later into the morning, as the last quarter of the night is the most REM sleep-rich phase.
Do not consume alcohol or THC, as both are potent substances that will remove or obliterate your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Prioritize sleep quality, particularly deep non-REM sleep, as it is a strong predictor of anxiety dissipation and re-engages the frontal lobe for anxiety reduction.
Establish and maintain a regular sleep schedule (going to bed and waking up at the same time daily) to ensure stable, continuous sleep, which is crucial for deep non-REM sleep quality and reducing anxiety.
Engage in physical activity to improve the electrical quality of your deep non-REM sleep, which is beneficial for managing anxiety.
Keep your bedroom cool to promote an increase in deep non-REM sleep, which aids in anxiety reduction.
Take a warm bath or shower before bed to improve deep non-REM sleep, which helps manage anxiety by promoting cooling of the body core.
Reduce excessive alcohol consumption in the evening as it fragments sleep and restricts deep non-REM sleep, potentially increasing anxiety and long-term chronic anxiety.
Practice non-sleep deep rest (Yoga Nidra) for 30 minutes to an hour first thing upon waking, especially for individuals in inpatient addiction recovery, to compensate for sleep deprivation and aid sobriety.
Consider using non-sleep deep rest (Yoga Nidra) at the end of the day to help transition into a liminal state and reduce stress about falling asleep, acting as a bridge between wakefulness and sleep.
Prioritize sufficient sleep to resist addiction potential and maintain abstinence during recovery, as sleep deprivation enhances reward circuitry and impulsivity.
Recognize sleep disruption (short, poor quality, irregular sleep) as a potential biomarker for upcoming suicide risk, preceding suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completion, suggesting a need for increased support and intervention.