GETTING
QUALITY SLEEP WHEN STRESSED
By Elizabeth Scott, MS
Updated October 30,
2019
Medically reviewed
by Steven Gans, MD on February 21, 2017
Sleep is an important resource that keeps you healthy,
mentally sharp, and able to cope with stress more effectively, among other
things. Unfortunately, stressed and busy people tend
to get less sleep than they need. According to a poll on this site, roughly 50%
of readers like you are missing enough sleep to triple their risk of a car
accident. Learn some of the reasons why stress and sleep deprivation seem to go
together, and important techniques for getting the sleep you need.
Factors That Contribute to Lack
of Sleep
The following are all common factors that contribute to lack
of sleep:
- Overthinking: Many
people take their work home with them, either physically or
metaphorically. And it makes sense: with today’s demanding workloads,
it’s often difficult to come home from a day of troubleshooting and
automatically stop thinking about all the, well, trouble. Stay-at-home
parents and students can experience this as well. If you find yourself
still trying to solve problems at the end of the day, and the thoughts
won’t seem to leave your mind, this can make sleep come much more
difficult. It can even disrupt your sleep in the middle of the
night as you transition between sleep stages.
- Caffeine: People
under stress tend to consume significant amounts of caffeine to get a
boost that gets them going in the morning or helps them make it through
the day. Caffeine can actually exacerbate stress levels and
significantly affect the amount and quality of sleep you get.
- Cortisol: This stress
hormone is one of the key players responsible for the fight or
flight response—that jolt of energy you get when you feel stressed or
threatened that enables you to respond. Unfortunately, chronic stress can
lead to excessive levels of cortisol, and this can disrupt healthy sleep
patterns.
- Over scheduling: A
hectic, busy life can rob you of time you can actually dedicate to sleep.
If you find yourself pushing your bed time back further and further to get
things done, or getting up earlier and earlier in the name of
productivity, you may feel tired a lot of the time but not realize the
toll lack of sleep is taking.
- Anxiety: Like
overthinking, anxiety can make sleep difficult and wake you up at night.
Anxiety keeps your mind busy as you imagine threatening scenarios and
worry about what may happen next. You may become preoccupied with finding
solutions. That racing of your mind can rob you of sleep by keeping your
cortisol levels high, making sleep harder to achieve.
How to Get the Sleep You Need
Try these tips if you find yourself regularly short on
sleep:
- Maintain Healthy Nighttime Habits: Keeping regular sleep-promoting nighttime habits
can go a long way toward helping you consistently get more high-quality
sleep. Here are some sleep-doctor-recommended strategies for
promoting sleep by maintaining the right habits.
- Release Your Stress: One
great way to purge your body of stress so your mind can relax is to
learn progressive muscle relaxation and deep muscle relaxation
techniques. Meditation is also a proven tool to relax your body
and quiet your mind; it can easily transition you into sleep. Here is
how to get started with meditation.
- Have Sex: A favourite way for many people to relax before bed—one you may have already
thought of—is sexual activity. Sex with a loving partner (or solo) can
give you a dose of relaxing hormones and provide several other stress
management benefits. Unfortunately, many people find that stress zaps
their sex drive. Here are some tips on getting in the
mood when stressed.
When All Else Fails—Nap
If you've done everything you can and you're exhausted
anyway, don’t underestimate the value of the power nap. It's not
recommended to take naps if you're having difficulty sleeping because it may
decrease your nighttime sleepiness. However, if the problem is not that
you can't fall asleep but that you don't have enough time to sleep because you
are too busy, fitting some nap time into your day can really help. Napping
can increase your productivity and give you a valuable dose of sleep when you
need it. And when you're well-rested, you can be less reactive toward stress.
Disclaimer:
The content of this blog is for informational
purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your
physician or other qualified health provider with any question you may have
regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency,
call your doctor immediately. Opt4health does not recommend or endorse any
specific tests, physician, products, procedures, opinions, or other information
that may be mentioned on the Opt4health blog. Reliance on any information
provided by Opt4health, Opt4health employees, other contributors appearing on
the blog at the invitation of Opt4health, or other visitors to the blog is solely
at your own risk.
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