Blog 4: Managing Stress for Quality Sleep – How to Unwind the Right Way

Hey everyone!

We’re going to round out our series on sleep by talking about a factor that can really affect how we recharge our minds and our bodies: stress. Ugh. We all deal with it, but chronic stress really gets in the way of both getting to sleep AND staying asleep. I’m sure you know that feeling of when you’re lying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, but instead of getting relaxed, your brain turns on and decides to stay up late, worrying about that test you have tomorrow or the essay you just turned in.

Part 1: The Science of Stress and Sleep

Stress triggers cortisol, the “fight-or-flight” hormone that keeps you alert and ready to act. High cortisol levels before bed are like a boost of energy boost just when you’re trying to wind down. Stress also releases norepinephrine and adrenaline, which increase your heart rate and make it hard to relax. All of this disrupts the production of serotonin and melatonin, two key chemicals for calming down and falling asleep. Learn more about stress and sleep from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Part 2: Techniques to Reduce Stress Chemistry before Bed

We can’t always control the stress in our lives, but we can try to manage it. Here are some of the methods that I've been trying lately to help me calm down.

• Mindfulness Meditation: Meditation helps lower cortisol and increase serotonin. It also activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you relax. Read more about mindfulness from the NIH.

• Deep Breathing: This activates the relaxation response in your body, slowing both your heart rate and your blood pressure.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Try tensing and relaxing each muscle group one at a time to release physical tension. Find out more from the Mayo Clinic.

Part 3: Building a Bedtime Routine to Ease Stress

You’ve noticed by now that there are some things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene. In addition to the tips in my other blogs about setting up an ideal sleep environment, eating well and exercising, here are some tips for reducing stress when you are getting ready for bed.

1. Avoid Stressful Triggers at Night: Try to keep your evenings light. Don’t engage in intense discussions or read emails right before bed, because they will keep your mind active…and there’s that blue light issue as well. 

2. Create Calming Rituals: Try reading a physical book, listening to calming music, or taking a warm bath to send a signal to your brain that it is time to wind down. 

3. Keep a Journal: This is a strategy that I picked up earlier this year and have found it very effective. Before getting into bed, I pinpoint everything on my mind, write them down, and think about how they make me feel. If find that quickly jotting down these thoughts helps me clear my mind, as if I'm simply removing them from my brain. If you have a lot on your plate and find yourself dwelling on stressful topics, consider keeping a journal, notebook, or even sticky notes to offload some of those concerns.

When you manage your stress, you will find that it is much easier to fall asleep and to wake up feeling more refreshed and ready to start your day.

In this four-part blog on sleep, we’ve looked at some simple but powerful habits that you can adopt to optimize your sleep and set yourself up for better energy and focus. 

Which new sleep habit will you try tonight?

Zzzz well!