When sleep becomes a nightly battle 

For most people, it can be challenging to get a decent night’s sleep; for Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) residents, a decent night’s sleep can become a nightly battle. 

According to Mind Rehab, an organization developed by clinicians and correctional professionals that specializes in mental health, substance abuse, court literacy, and reentry education, this could be for a variety of reasons. 

Some of them we can control with awareness and practice: nervousness, excessive caffeine, unprocessed feelings, ruminating, and hyper-focusing. 

Unfortunately, some of the issues we have little to no control over, like excessive noise, the stadium lights shining in from the outside of one window and the hallway lights in the other window, and let’s be realistic, the thin mattresses on metal bunks are extremely uncomfortable. All of these hurdles add up, and sleep disruption accumulates. 

You know how lack of food can make you “H-angry”? Well, lack of sleep does this to me! I get “Sleep-angry!” I will be grumpy, make some not-so-great decisions, and say things I may regret later, all while being clumsier than normal. 

Everybody has a sleep cycle — an internal clock — and it’s called your circadian rhythm. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the purpose of your circadian rhythm is to regulate the chemical excretions that make you tired and wake you up; this is just part of its many functions. 

Cleveland Clinic states that the continued lack of regular sleep can generate undesirable symptoms in your waking life, both short-term and long-term. 

The short-term effects are: a delay in healing wounds, changes to your hormones, digestion issues, fluctuations in body temperature, lack of energy, and memory loss. 

The long-term effects are possible health conditions in different systems of the body, including cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and nervous. 

The good news is, according to Mind Rehab’s course, “Getting Better Sleep — Simple Effective Strategies,” easily found on the Edovo app, you can make small changes that can help: 

• Create a consistent sleep schedule: a time to go to bed every night, and a time to wake up every morning, even on the weekends. It will help set your internal clock. 
• Create a wind-down routine, a physical act to signal your mind and your body that it is time to relax before bedtime. (Ex: Stretching, yoga, deep breathing) 
• Utilize what little control of your environment you can: use earplugs, wear a makeshift eye mask, say a mantra, or hum. Personally, I like to listen to the CALM app on my tablet. 
• Calm your nerves with this deep breathing technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds, and repeat as many times as needed. 
• If you have racing thoughts that are keeping you from dozing off, write them down and tell yourself, “That is for tomorrow.” State a few things you are grateful for right now, look at pictures of loved ones, and say positive affirmations like, “I am safe, I am calm, I am relaxed, I am grateful,” etc. 
• Avoid ingesting caffeine after 1 p.m. 
• Stay active and get natural light during the day. 

If you are still having a really difficult time getting decent sleep, contact CCWF’s Mental Health Department immediately. You can contact them by submitting a medical form 7362 (Copay). 

If you want to watch the full course, log into your tablet and open “More apps,” open the Edovo app, and search “Getting Better Sleep — Simple, Effective Strategies.” Not only do you learn these helpful tips for better sleep, but you also earn a certificate!