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The relationship between stress and sleep
April is Stress Awareness Month in the UK. This is a good time to talk about the impact of stress on our day-to-day life especially on sleep quality. Discover how stress affects us mentally and physically and how to manage it to improve our nights.
- What is stress?
- Some figures about stress in the UK
- The relationship between stress and sleep
- Manage stress for a better sleep
- Wrapping up
What is stress?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, stress is a "great worry caused by a difficult situation or something that causes this condition". It can also be defined by a physiological or mental response to a real or perceived threat. The body will switch on the emergency mode, starting with the release of adrenaline. It follows a rise in blood pressure, muscle tension, breathing and heart rate, and blood sugar, as well as higher levels of alertness, decreased sensitivity to pain, and slowed digestion. So it can be useful; when increasing our performances to escape a danger but too much stress over a too long period of time can be bad for your health.
There are three common types of stress. First is acute stress that is felt by everyone at least once. This is the immediate response of the body to a new and challenging situation. It can be caused by a positive or negative event (not that severe), like being in a roller coaster or narrowly escape a scooter accident. Once the danger passes, the body systems should return to normal.
Episodic acute stress is when a person experiences acute stress frequently. This might happen if you’re often anxious and worried about things you suspect may happen. You might feel that your life is chaotic, feel always under pressure and you seemingly go from one crisis to the next.
The third type of stress is chronic stress which is ongoing stress resulting from long-term emotional pressure like money problems, family issues, unhappy job situation... Suffering from chronic stress is being unable to recover properly between two stress episodes. The nervous system is constantly aroused and that is not good for your health.
Some figures about stress in the UK
The relationship between stress and sleep
As mentioned above, stress can impact sleep and the reverse holds true. Many report that their stress increases when the length and quality of their sleep decreases. In times of stress, we may under or over-eat, lose interest in activities, feel agitated and struggle to concentrate. You may also experience problems sleeping – with difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep. Sleep is so crucial that even slight sleep deprivation or poor sleep can affect memory, judgment and mood.
Chronic stress causes dysregulation of the sleep-wake cycle, that internal clock that tells the body when it is time to sleep and when you need to be alert. When people are experiencing a specific stress during the day, they are more likely to feel difficult to fall asleep at night. Stress may reduce deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, both of which are important for mental and physical health.
Stress is a key risk factor for insomnia, which refers to trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. People with insomnia may feel unrefreshed when waking up and experience next-day sleepiness. Up to 50% of all adults report symptoms of insomnia at some point in their lives. They usually have a high level of the cortisol hormone in the body at night, this level is in normal times decreasing to prepare the body to sleep.
Manage stress for a better sleep
There are some natural ways to manage stress in a daily basis:
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Stay active
You do not need to become an olympic athlete, but working out on a regular basis is a good way to relax the body and the mind. Choose something you like and commit to it so you do not give up. It can be walking to work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, sign up to a soft gym class or practice at home with online videos, go for a walk on week-ends... Anything the prevent you from staying inactive for too long.
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Breathe
By breathing we mean deep breathing as it can take the pressure off you right away. It might seems too simple to be true or effective but taking few minutes to conscientiously breathe will help you feel less stressed. You can do that anytime you feel that stress level is getting too high to cope. Sit down, close your eyes and start breathing slowly, focusing on every inhale, every exhale, lengthening your breath progressively and stop when you feel that you are more relaxed already.
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Eat well
The gut is the second brain. There is a proven link between digestion, mood and health in general. By using a proper diet, limiting inflammatory food for example you can feel better and be less likely to stress. So it can help you control your mood. It is worth a try right?
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Slow down and/or take a break
Easier said than done, we know. But sometimes, we do not have the choice, we need to step back and take a break to recover. You can spend time in nature, with your friends and family, reconnect with your hobbies/passion (write, dance, sing, sew, swim, go to the movies, meditate, play golf, read...) anything that makes you feel good.
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Go easy on yourself
Accept that you are doing your best and that you cannot control everything. Do not be so hard on yourself, you are trying! Maybe identify the amount of pressure you put on yourself and work on it, write about it, talk to someone if you can. And if you cannot sleep? That is ok get up and do something relaxing and go back to bed when you feel sleepy. As simple as that.
Speaking about that, when it comes to sleep, if you worry about stress ruining your night, there are some other actions you can take to maximize the chance to have a good night's sleep:
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Disconnect
Too much. Too much bad news, too much emails to answer, too much notifications... Learn to disconnect from time to time and you will benefit from it really soon. As we have already said here : "A phone off, a peaceful night"
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Create a routine
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Your bed a sanctuary
Your bedroom should be a peaceful place for rest and sleep. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool when you’re trying to sleep. Stay committed to the fact that electronic devices, work, food... do not belong to the bedroom area. Keep your bedroom only for sleeping and relaxing!
Trouble to sleep because of GERD, painful shoulders or general discomfort? Visit our website to find the right solution for you!
Stress is really taken seriously by organizations. Even the World Health Organization has published an illustrated guide to cope with stress with self-help tips. You can find the English version here.
Wrapping up
Feeling stressed sometimes is natural, it is a body and mental response to a threat (real or not). It ensure that we are ready to face the danger and survive. But our modern lifestyles have led to different types of stress. If chronic, stress appears too often and do not allo the body to rest. It has a huge impact on our health. The good news is that there are plenty things to do to cope with stress, you might find what is best for you.
Sources: The sleep doctor, The sleep charity, Anxiety UK, Mental health UK, Healthline, Sleep fondation.
