Stress and sleep are interconnected. When you are (very) stressed, it can affect your sleep and vice versa. So, when you don't sleep well, this can in turn increase your stress level. When this continues to reinforce itself (for days in a row), you end up in a vicious cycle in which these two factors keep making each other worse.
Stress and sleep
Stress has a direct impact on our sleep and the ability to sleep well and deeply. When you are stressed, your body produces hormones. One of those hormones is cortisol, which keeps us alert (sometimes very useful). But when there is too much cortisol in your body for too long, it disrupts deep sleep.
Sleep and stress
Sleep, or especially the lack thereof, affects your stress. When you do not sleep enough or well, your brain does not function optimally and you are likely to have more difficulty dealing with (more) stressful situations. Perhaps you recognize that you are more irritable when you have not slept well. Or perhaps you notice that you are more anxious and not as resilient against things that happen throughout the day. This strengthens the stress cycle again.
Breaking the vicious cycle
Fortunately, you can take action yourself to break this cycle:
- Meditation: a few minutes of meditation per day can already help you become more balanced and reduce your stress levels. Breathing techniques can also calm your nervous system.
- Calming sleep environment: ensure you create a good sleep environment with as little light and as few stimuli as possible. A place where you truly wind down and where you only go to sleep. Make sure you don't lie in bed with your phone or watch TV. This is how you train your body to sleep in your bedroom.
- Scheduling time for rest: plan some moments in your day when you take a moment to breathe and rest. You can, for example, do the aforementioned meditation or breathing exercises. But a short walk or 1 minute of movement also have a positive effect.
- Movement: moving every day is very important for your health, and also for regulating your stress levels. Just be careful not to do intense exercise right before bed; it is better to schedule this in the morning or afternoon. Yoga can also work very well to reduce your sense of stress.
So break your own patterns and ensure a good night's sleep and as little stress as possible during the day. You are helping yourself immensely by working on your own health!
