Providence Health Plan’s Medical Director of Behavioral Health shares tips to prevent sleep deprivation during the holidays from impacting your mental health.
PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s not just dark nights and holiday busyness that cause anxiety this season. Doctors say lack of sleep can cause stress levels to skyrocket.
Dr. Paul Giger, Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Providence Health Plan, says people who don’t get enough sleep have high blood pressure, elevated cortisol levels, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. He said it would increase further.
He said sleep is one of the most important steps to prevent stress-induced wear and tear on the body.
“The benefits of improving sleep are huge,” Dr. Giger says. “Compared to investing, that’s the first place I go for people.”
He said there are many things that can be stressful at this time of year, and decreased activity, poor eating and drinking are all traditional triggers.
“But we now know that simply not getting the optimal amount of sleep can be putting stress on your physical and mental health.”
Dr. Giger said “sleep medicine” is a relatively new concept of improving sleep and improving health.
“Usually this can be corrected by changing behavior,” he says.
Dr. Giger said the best way to improve your sleep is to improve your “sleep hygiene.”
- Keep a regular bedtime and wake-up time every day.
- Avoid naps unless you take a short 15-minute nap right after you wake up in the morning.
- Limit exposure to bright light before bed and at night
- Keep the watch away from you.
- And keep you cool to prevent overheating while you sleep.
According to Providence.org, people with mental health issues such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression often struggle with sleep and may sleep too little or too much.
But Dr. Giger said if you create a solid sleep plan and stick to it, you may be able to enjoy a more relaxing holiday season.
