The Simple Thing To Do When It Feels Like Everything Is The Worst
Want to put all that negativity, stress, and anxiety to bed? Then you need to get to bed, too.
Forewer / Shutterstock I slept for a total of four hours last night. I tossed and turned, because of a migraine, and stressed myself out about whether or not I'd call in sick today and, if I did, being a freelancer, would I be able to make my rent on January 1st. My brain was struggling and I felt no peace.
Today, with just those mere four hours of shut-eye, I'm cranky, emotional, and more pessimistic than usual. I'm always this way when I haven’t slept enough, and I'm sure you're pretty much the same way, too.
According to psychologists, if you want to put all that negativity, stress, and anxiety to bed, then you, yourself, need to get to bed, too. A new study has found that one of the best ways to nip your worries in the bud is to sleep more.
In sleeping more, you're not only helping to get rid of that anxiety, especially about the future, but you're also cutting down on your depressive thoughts, the likelihood of obesity, chances of cancer, heart disease, and even type 2 diabetes.
The reason for this is that the body's clock gets out of whack when you don't sleep enough, and therefore, you suffer both physically and mentally. Considering that list of possible ailments from not sleeping enough, who isn't thinking about cutting out of work right now and going home to bed?
But how does one know if they're getting enough sleep and sleeping properly?
According to the study, here are 3 things to do when it feels like everything is the worst:
1. Sleep seven to eight hours a night
It doesn't matter if you're one of those people who think they can function on four or five hours asleep, you need more. Even if you're used to only limited hours of sleep, the truth is your body needs more to stay healthy and keep health risks at bay.
2. Sleep at night
It's those night owls who are more likely to go to bed later who are more prone to "repetitive negative thoughts than others." The best way to help eliminate those thoughts or, at the very least reduce them, is to go to bed at a civilized hour. Breaking news: 3 am is not a civilized hour, especially mid-week.
3. Sleep in pitch-dark rooms
Researchers have found that we need complete darkness when we're sleeping in order for our bodies to produce the appropriate amount of hormones necessary to convert food into energy. Even the glowing of a smartphone in our room could interrupt that process, so phones should be kept in the other room when you hit the hay.
The next time you're having one of those days where you think everything is the absolute worst and the future is looking bleak, head straight to bed. You may not be able to change the world from being the sometimes-evil place that it is, but with the right amount of sleep, you'll have the necessary mindset to deal with it, and that's something.
Amanda Chatel is a writer who divides her time between NYC and Paris. She's a regular contributor to Bustle and Glamour, with bylines at Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Livingly, Mic, The Bolde, Huffington Post, and others.