Stress and Sleep: An Unlikely Pair

After a stressful day, what most people would like to do is sink into bed, forget the day, and hope things will be better after a good rest.

And yet, stress can often prevent us from getting the rest we need.

Why does this happen, and more importantly, how can we stop it? How does stress and sleep affect us?

Stress is something that all of us know and are very familiar with. Stress is something everyone has experienced.

Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone. The body naturally produces cortisol throughout the day, spiking when we wake up, and then going down throughout the day. This is why when we're in stressful situations, we feel hyper-aware and awake, but afterward, we 'crash'.

However, one of the ways stress can interfere with sleep is by keeping us in that 'hyper-aware state, preventing us from sleeping at the correct time. This can happen in a variety of ways, like the stressful event being close to bedtime, or by us thinking about the stressful event before bed, or, in cases like trauma and chronic stress, the body cannot properly tell when they are, or are not, in danger.

Stress not only affects how we sleep but the rest of our body as well.

Consider how you feel when you're in a stressful situation. Do your muscles tense up? Does your breathing quicken? Do you get angry, or feel sick?

This is because of how stress interacts with our nervous system, and why most of these symptoms are largely out of our control.

However, extended periods of stress can take these symptoms, and make them far worse. For example, when your muscles are constantly tense, many people report tension-induced headaches, back pain, and neck pain.

So, how do we fix this?

Well, in life, there are two categories of things. Things we can change, and things we cannot. While we can work to change the things we can, the best way to deal with the things we cannot change is to work on coping with it and making our lives the best we can anyway.

We cannot fix the world at large. But, we can work and cope with it the best we can, while changing what we can about our lives.

In order to not waste time trying to change what we cannot try and identify the things that stress you out, and what category they belong to. Is it reasonable to expect yourself to change this thing? Or is it far too big a problem for one person?

Reach out to others.

If your stress reaches a worrying level, it may be wise to reach out to a professional, such as a therapist or doctor who can offer medical advice to help with your stress and how it's affecting your life.

Try and engage in relaxing activities.

Whether it's purposefully making time for your hobbies, or simply allowing yourself to unwind before bed with your favorite show, anything that makes you calm down and escape from a stressful reality is good.

Ensure that you have a good sleep schedule.

Get in and out of bed at around time, even on the weekends and vacations. This can help regulate some of the horomones that are most deeply responsible for stress. Plus, there is the simple fact that being well-rested helps us respond to even the most stressful situations better, by improving our memory and decision making skills.

Sleep is one of the most important factors in your life - and one that is important to devote time and care to.

In summary, try to ensure your rest and relaxation is one of your priorities. Doing these things can make it easier to relax, rather than being unable to relax, and experiencing burnout.

Take care of yourself!