English Can stress cause sleep problems?
Dr Rebecca Robbins explains the impact stress has on the quality of our sleep, and shares her tips on keeping it in check during the day, so that we’re less likely to feel its effects when it’s time to drift off.
Recent studies increasingly suggest that many of our sleep and health-related problems are caused or accelerated by stress. As one of the biggest contributors of insomnia and anxiety, it’s important we learn to not only handle its effects, but also become proactive about preventing it from affecting our well-being. Sleep Scientist and author, Dr Rebecca Robbins, shares with us the science behind stress, and her tips on keeping it at bay throughout the day, and night.
“When allowed to go unchecked over the course of the day, stress can rear its ugly head at night-time, causing trouble with falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or simply waking up too early. As a result, we become sleep deprived. And when we’re sleep deprived, we’re less able to do something called ‘perspective taking’. It’s simply taking in the events that happen to us during our daily lives and putting them into perspective. Without our ability to do that, we can become consumed by negative things that happen in our days. But by keeping stressful events in check over the course of our day, we’re better set up to be able to fall asleep into the deep restorative rest that allows us to wake up feel refreshed.
By keeping stressful events in check over the course of our day, we’re better set up to be able to fall asleep into the deep restorative rest that allows us to wake up feel refreshed.
There are many science-backed elements you can introduce into your daily life. These aim to help you manage stress, and keep it at bay when it’s time to drift off. Exercise is the most important, and effective method to manage our stress levels. Making time for exercise over the course of the day boosts endorphins, which are natural mood elevators. The second-best way to keep stress at bay is to practise mindfulness or breathing exercises. These exercises can slow our heart rate and deal with stressful events. Breathing exercises, such as the 4-7-8 technique, where you breathe in for 4 seconds, you hold for 7 seconds, and then you exhale for 8 seconds, can be wonderful tools to help us deal with stress.
Managing stress is essential, because without this, we’re much more likely to experience insomnia-like symptoms, or over time develop a clinical diagnosis of insomnia. Insomnia symptoms refer to chronic experience of either difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or waking up too early. And if those symptoms sound like they affect you, it’s time to speak to a health care provider. Our quality of sleep is a direct result of our daily lives. Keeping stress in check will set us up for success and increase our chances at a deep restorative sleep that allows us to wake up and perform at our best.”
Dr Rebecca Robbins
Breathing exercises, such as the 4-7-8 technique, where you breathe in for 4 seconds, you hold for 7 seconds, and then you exhale for 8 seconds, can be wonderful tools to help us deal with stress.
