Getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night is one of the most important ways you can build greater resilience to daily stress, but we often struggle to sleep when our stress levels are high.
This complex interaction of sleep and stresswhere each factor affects the other, it can lead to a vicious cycle that leaves you sleep-deprived and downright stressed.
Taking proactive steps to reduce your stress levels and support a better night’s sleep is the ideal way to break the cycle and reverse your morning frown.
READ MORE | How poor sleep affects your health and stress levels
How stress affects sleep
Chronic stress can increase stress hormone levels, particularly cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, the body becomes less able to regulate these stress hormones and they may remain elevated.
This situation of his Chronic stress then affects the sleep-wake cycleas cortisol plays an important role in our hormonally driven circadian rhythm (inversely, our circadian rhythm also plays a role in regulating cortisol levels)1.
Cortisol levels usually rise in the morning, helping us wake up and prepare our bodies for the day ahead. increasing alertness and increasing blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Levels gradually decrease as the day progresses, falling to their lowest level in the evening as the body tires and prepares for sleep.
This normal reduction in cortisol is essential for quality sleep, but when cortisol levels remain high, we tend to wake up throughout the night, meaning we fail to sleep deeply enough, with levels peaking earlier – around 3am. m. – waking us up.
Anxiety can also lead to racing thoughts, which makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep quickly.
READ MORE | Exercise for your mental health. It’s the easy way to reduce stress
Poor sleep increases stress levels
We should all spend at least a third of our lives in the land of sleep Sleep is a state of rejuvenation and rejuvenation which enhances every biological function in the body.
Shawn Stevenson, author of the book Sleep smarterhe calls it the “secret sauce” because there isn’t a single aspect of a person’s mental, emotional, or physical performance that isn’t affected by sleep.
Specifically, we need adequate sleep – between 7-9 hours a night – as well as adequate deep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Plagued by chronic sleep debt and a lack of quality sleep, we begin to experience reduced cognitive function, which can affect our concentration, memory and problem-solving abilities.
This condition makes it harder to deal with stressors and also negatively affects our performance at work or school, which adds to already elevated stress levels.
Sleep deprivation can also heighten our emotional responsesleading to increased irritability and mood swings.
READ MORE | Manage stress and improve mental health with these supplements
A vicious cycle
This interaction between poor sleep and increased stress can quickly develop Sleep and stress are inversely related – the higher our stress levels, the poorer our sleep.
The major issue is this Sleep is perhaps the most important intervention we have in managing and combating stress. This results in a vicious cycle where stress disrupts our sleep, subsequent poor sleep intensifies our stress levels, and increased stress further disrupts our sleep.
With less shut-eye overall and insufficient time spent in restorative cycles of deep and REM sleep, the important biological processes that occur during the night fail to support and repair our nervous and hormonal systems to combat stress.
READ MORE | Because tackling insomnia for better sleep could unlock holistic health
Breaking the cycle
Breaking the cycle involves prioritizing both sleep and stress management. Taking a proactive approach to stress management requires a multifaceted approach.
First, identify sources of stress and find ways to reduce or eliminate them. Research1 also shows that a A strategic 30-minute daily nap restores hormonal function and increases levels of proteins involved in stress management and immune system function back to normal after two nights of severe sleep deprivation.
Complement this approach with a nutritious diet, mindfulness or meditation practices, yoga, stretching, daily restorative exercise and activity.
Spending quality time with loved ones and building a strong support system creates the social connections that help us cope and find outlets for our stress. If stress becomes overwhelming, it’s worth consulting a therapist or counselor to find tools and techniques to help you.
Better sleep starts with improving sleep hygiene. This should include ACpersistent sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine it can also help you fall asleep faster. Ideal mind-calming activities such as reading, meditation, breathing exercises or other relaxation techniques help you unwind and relax. It’s also a good idea to avoid screens at least an hour before bed.
Optimizing your sleep environment can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep through the night for more restful sleep.
Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Buying a comfortable mattress and quality supportive pillows is a great investment in the quality of your sleep.
It helps to avoid heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol near bedtimewith normal pphysical activity another important element in your daily routine to improve sleep quality. Just avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime.
READ MORE | Get super sleepy with these natural sleep enhancers
Additional support
You can also control rising stress levels and support better sleep with specially formulated supplements.
For example, stress support and adaptogen supplements like Biogen Mental Lift and Biogen Mental Reset help minimize stress and support the body and immune system with various botanicals that can support adrenal function to help regulate stress hormone production.
Likewise, many sleep support supplements such as Biogen Sure Sleep contain natural botanicals such as valerian extract, passion flower powder and hops extract, which may improve sleep quality, along with vitamins and minerals such as magnesium and zinc, which increasing GABA production – a neurotransmitter responsible for calming your central nervous system, relaxing you and preparing you for sleep.
A nootropic product can help calm the body and mind and promote restful and restorative sleep, with Biogen 5-HTP Neuro an option to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls mood while promoting nerve regeneration, which creates new cells and tissue to repair the nervous system.
References:
- O’Byrne NA, Yuen F, Butt WZ, Liu PY. Sleep and circadian regulation of cortisol: A brief review. Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res. 2021 Jun? 18:178-186. doi: 10.1016/j.coemr.2021.03.011. Epub 2021 May 5. PMID: 35128146; PMCID: PMC8813037.
- Brice Faraut, Samir Nakib, Catherine Drogou, Maxime Elbaz, Fabien Sauvet, Jean-Pascal De Bandt, Damien Léger. Napping reverses sleep restriction-induced changes in salivary interleukin-6 and urinary norepinephrine. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2015; jc.2014-2566 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-2566.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sports or health and fitness, Pedro is most likely out training for his next marathon or ultramarathon. Worked as a fitness professional and marketing and comms specialist. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
