Depression and Sleep: Get adequate (6 to 8 hours) Sleep Each Night

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Get Adequate (6 to 8 hours) Sleep Each Night

Your mood is definitely related to the amount and quality of sleep you get each night. People who are chronically sleep-deprived feel moody, depressed, and generally out of sorts.

Here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep. Try to follow as many of them as possible, adjusting for your individual circumstances.

Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

Go to bed and wake up the same time each day if possible.
Develop a sleep routine to help train your body to know when it’s time for sleep.
Don’t lie in bed awake for more than 20 minutes. Get up and read, watch TV, or listen to music until you feel sleepy.
Exercise early in the day.
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol before bed. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and alcohol affects REM (dream sleep) and deep sleep.
Create a sleep sanctuary. Your bedroom should be quiet, dark, and cool and should be used for sleep and sex only. Avoid working, eating, or watching TV in bed.
Try to relax before bed. Take a warm bath or try meditating.
If you continue to have trouble sleeping, talk to a health professional to rule out a physical or mental problem

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Real Warriors www.realwarriors.net The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.	Brainline Military www.brainlinemilitary.org Living with traumatic brain injury (TBI): help for service members, veterans, national guard, reserve, and families.	My HealtheVet www.myhealth.va.gov My HealtheVet is the VA's Personal Health Record. It was designed for Veterans, active duty Servicemembers, their dependents and caregivers. My HealtheVet helps you partner with your health care team. It provides you opportunities and tools to make informed decisions.	National Center for PTSD www.ptsd.va.gov The National Center for PTSD is a center of excellence for research and education on the prevention, understanding, and treatment of PTSD. 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Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) is dedicated to advancing trauma-informed knowledge, leadership and methodologies. The Center’s work addresses a wide scope of trauma exposure from the consequences of combat, operations other than war, terrorism, natural and human-made disasters, and public health threats. CSTS is a part of Uniformed Services University (USU), and its Department of Psychiatry, as well as a partnering center of the Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.	Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center dvbic.dcoe.mil The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) serves active duty military, their beneficiaries, and veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) through state-of-the-art clinical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs. DVBIC fulfills this mission through ongoing collaboration with military, VA and civilian health partners, local communities, families and individuals with TBI. DVBIC is a component center of the Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.	National Intrepid Center of Excellence www.dcoe.mil The National Intrepid Center of Excellence is an advanced facility dedicated to the research, diagnosis and treatment of military personnel and Veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health challenges.	U.S. Department of Defense www.defense.gov The mission of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. The DoD engages in war-fighting, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and homeland security. The Department is currently headed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and is headquartered at the Pentagon.	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