Sleep important for mental, physical, emotional well-being, psychology professor says
by Clara Turnage
A good night’s sleep is nothing to snooze on, but a recent study shows fewer and fewer Americans are getting a full night’s rest. University of Mississippi psychology professor Sarah Bilsky says there are ways to set yourself up for dreamy success.
For the first time since 2001, more than half of Americans say they need more sleep. Getting enough sleep plays a significant role in weight management, emotional well-being, and physical and mental health.
“Sleep is so important and is related to so many health outcomes and academic outcomes,” said Bilsky, assistant professor of psychology. “It’s one of the few things that we know across the lifespan, if people are sleeping better throughout their lives, they’re generally just doing better in a lot of ways.”
The best way to build better sleep habits is to create routines around sleep that help reduce distractions.
“One of the best things we can do is be consistent,” she said. “If you can get yourself on that schedule of going to bed at a set time and waking up at a set time, that’s going to help you jump start good sleeping habits.”
Unfortunately, that includes the weekend. Sleeping in on Saturday could actually disrupt your sleeping pattern, leading to “sleep debt” that will come due once Monday rolls around, she said.
“You build up these sleep deficits over the weekend and then it gets harder to go back to sleep at your normal time during the week,” Bilsky said. “That’s a big thing with adolescents. They develop sleep debts and try to make it up on the weekend.”
Regulating what happens in the bedroom is also beneficial for creating the right environment for sleep, she said. Instead of watching TV, scrolling on a phone or even reading a physical book while sitting on the bed, Bilsky advises to save the bed for sleeping.
“Don’t use your phone in bed – that’s a big one and I know it’s hard to avoid for a lot of people,” she said. “Don’t be on your computer – really try not to use electronic media around bedtime as much as possible.
“In the 30 minutes before bed, you want to try to avoid any screens or super stimulating activity. Make those last 30 minutes relaxing, and that will make it easier to fall asleep.”
If you cannot fall asleep, it is better to remove yourself from the bedroom for a while and engage in a relaxing activity such as reading until you feel more tired. This helps the mind associate bed with sleep, not with tossing and turning.
“Preserving that as a sleep space – that will create more robust sleep associations,” she said. “If you do that consistently, it will get easier and easier to fall asleep over time.”
