Sleep-Mood Link

According to lead author Patrick Finan, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of medicine, when your sleep is disrupted throughout the night, you miss an opportunity to progress through the sleep stages to get the amount of slow-wave sleep that is key to the feeling of restoration. Know yourself. If light bothers your sleep, make sure your room is a dark as possible or wear eye protectors. Remove electronic equipment from the bedroom (e.g., TV, computer, iPad). If sound bothers your sleep—and you’re not a new parent!—wear earplugs or take turns wearing earplugs on alternate nights. Avoid eating heavy food for dinner or, if possible, eat before six o’clock. Turn off electronic equipment an hour before bedtime as it takes about an hour for the brain to readjust from the electronic lights.