Beware of Stress: What Stress Can Do To Your Sleep –
Sleep is important for you to function right. It recharges your brain while it allows your body to rest. However, not everyone is getting enough sleep at night. According to a survey conducted by Gallup News, 40% of Americans get less than seven hours of sleep at night.
Lack of sleep can result in health problems and complications. But why do you usually lack sleep? The survey of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America shows that seven out of ten adults in the United States have trouble sleeping because of stress.
How are stress and sleep-related to each other? This article talks about the relationship between stress and sleep.
Increases Insomnia Risk
Stress increases insomnia risk.
Stress may not just affect your health, but it can also rob you of your sleep. People who experience ongoing stress are more prone to insomnia. This is due to the emotions and anxiety that are in their mind.
A person who is stressed has elevated levels of cortisol in their blood. Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, makes the brain send signals to your body that it needs to respond to stress. As your cortisol levels increase, you have a lesser drive to sleep and a higher level of hyperarousal that can cause insomnia. An article also posits that cortisol increases your blood’s sugar and disrupts your body’s processes, making you at risk of numerous health problems.
Stress creates a vicious cycle in your sleep: When you are stressed, you cannot sleep. Your lack of sleep can make you feel more stressed. If you are under stress, your cortisol level increases, causing unsleepiness leading to insomnia.
Decreases Sleep Quality
Stress does not only decrease the number of hours you sleep, but it also reduces your sleep quality.
According to the Stress in America survey, about 42% adults get fair or poor sleep quality whenever they are stressed. When you are stressed, the brain releases more cortisol, increasing the stress hormone levels in your body. When you wake up in the morning, you feel more stressed. The more exhausted you feel, the more you will not be able to focus on your work, school or home which can make you feel more stressed.
When you are stressed, your body continuously releases stress hormones that make you feel more stressed and exhausted the morning you wake up.
Creates a Cycle
People who have prolonged levels of stress creates a cycle: when you are stressed, you cannot sleep. When you do not have sleep, your stress levels increases.
You need to have at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night but stress can limit these numbers. Lack of sleep at night causing increased stress levels can make it hard for you to follow even your healthy sleep routine. This can lead to lower stress energy, decreased efficiency and lessen productivity level during the day.
Lack of sleep due to stress creates a vicious cycle that can affect not only your sleep but also your day. The more stressed you are, the more it can be hard for you to sleep.
Stress is dangerous. It can affect you emotionally and physically, especially your sleep. It can increase your insomnia risks, decrease your sleep quality, and higher the possibility of getting diseases. If you are experiencing sleep problems because you are stressed out, talk to your doctor or a dentist specializing in sleep disorders to diagnose you immediately.