A Positive Mindset Helps You Sleep

So…to sleep better, I need to have a positive mindset?

Lack of sleep = negative mindset

You probably intuitively understand that when you don’t sleep well or enough, you often wake up in a bad mood or feeling pessimistic. Waking up “on the wrong side of the bed” as it were.

And there are studies showing that may be true. One such study published in the Journal of Sleep Research notes that we may be “more likely to be irritable and frustrated” when we’re short on sleep. The study also “suggests that sleep-deprived people are likely to perceive emotional stimuli — such as events or personal interactions in their daily life — as worse than they really are.”

Another 2020 study published in the journal Health Psychology found that sleep deprivation reduces our ability to have positive reactions to positive events.

Wait, what??

You know that if you don’t sleep well, you’re more likely to feel like doo-doo the next day. But to think that good things happening around and to you will just ricochet off like there’s a bad-sleep-force-field around you?

Now that stings. No thanks Yoda, I’ll pass on that one.

Let’s turn that whole equation on its head and look at it from a different perspective.

Positive mindset = good sleep

It does make sense, doesn’t it? If not sleeping enough gives you a bad attitude, then getting plenty of sleep will help you feeling happy, optimistic, and enjoying a positive mindset.

But what if your positive mindset is what helps you sleep better?

You see the difference there, right? It’s a circular question, like the chicken and the egg riddle. Which comes first, the positive mindset, or the good sleep?

It seems that both are true. And that means you can approach sleep challenges from different angles. After all, when you are proactive in dealing with problems, you feel empowered, which helps you feel more positive and optimistic.

You can begin by taking steps to improve your chances of getting more sleep each night with the goal of feeling better and more positive in your life every day.

While you’re at it, you can also make feeling more positive a priority in your everyday routine, with the aim of it helping you sleep better each night. Take part in activities and hobbies you love. Spend time truly enjoying your family and friends. Learn something new you’ve always wanted to do, like cooking, or gardening, skiing or surfing.

Reading, meditating, and spending time in prayer are also great ways to get your positive feelings flowing. Something as simple as consciously feeling gratitude for the wonderful things in your life can be enormously mood-lifting.

There are some interesting studies showing that feeling and expressing gratitude can help you sleep well. Something as simple as recalling happy memories, thinking of five things you are thankful for, or having a gratitude journal where you record all the things – big and small – that make you feel blessed, can have all kinds of benefits. Better sleep is a great one, but it’s only one of many positive effects of feeling grateful.

So, fall asleep counting your blessings.

I’m in! How about you?