Getting enough quality sleep each night is one of the most important ways you can build greater resilience to the stress we experience in daily life. The problem is that the higher our stress levels, the more it affects our sleep.

This complex interplay between sleep and stress, where each factor influences the other, can result in a vicious cycle that leaves you sleep deprived and totally stressed out.

Taking proactive steps to reduce your stress levels and support better sleep at night is the ideal way to break the cycle and turn your morning frown upside down.

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How stress affects sleep

Chronic stress can raise stress hormone levels, especially cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, the body becomes less adept at regulating these stress hormones and they can remain elevated.

This state of chronic stress then impacts our sleep-wake cycle, as cortisol plays an important role in our hormonally-driven circadian rhythm (conversely, our circadian rhythm also plays a role in regulating cortisol levels)1.

Cortisol levels typically rise in the morning, helping to wake us up and prepare our body for the day ahead by increasing alertness, and raising blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Levels gradually decline as the day progresses, dropping lowest in the evening as the body winds down and prepares for sleep.

This normal decline in cortisol is essential for quality sleep, but when cortisol levels remain elevated, we tend to wake up throughout the night, which means we fail to get sufficient deep sleep, with levels peaking earlier – around 3 am – waking us up. Stress can also lead to racing thoughts, which makes it challenging to unwind and fall asleep quickly.

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Poor sleep adds to stress levels

We should all spend at least a third of our life in slumberland as sleep is a recuperative and rejuvenating state that enhances every biological function in the body.

Shawn Stevenson, author of the book Sleep Smarter, calls it “a secret sauce” because there is not one facet of a person’s mental, emotional or physical performance that is not affected by sleep.

Specifically, we need sufficient 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 start to experience impaired cognitive function, which can affect our concentration, memory and problem-solving abilities.

This state makes it harder to cope with stressors, and also negatively affects our performance at work or school, which adds to already heightened stress levels.

Sleep deprivation can also amplify our emotional responses, leading to increased irritability and mood swings.

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A vicious cycle

This interplay between poor sleep and rising stress can quickly spiral as sleep and stress have an inverse relationship – the higher our stress levels, the poorer our sleep becomes.

The major issue is that sleep is possibly the most important intervention we have in managing and combating stress.

This results in a vicious cycle where stress disrupts our sleep, the resultant poor sleep intensifies our stress levels, and the increased stress further disrupts our sleep.

With less shuteye overall and insufficient time spent in restorative deep and REM sleep cycles, the important biological processes that happen overnight fail to support and repair our nervous and hormonal systems to combat stress.

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Breaking the cycle

Breaking the cycle involves prioritising both sleep and stress management. Taking a proactive approach to stress management requires a multi-pronged approach.

Firstly, identify sources of stress and find ways to reduce or eliminate them. Research1 also shows that a strategic 30-minute daytime nap restores hormonal function and raises levels of proteins involved in stress management and immune system function back to normal following 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 with and find outlets for our stress. If stress becomes overwhelming, it is worth consulting a therapist or counselor to find tools and techniques to assist you.

Getting better sleep starts with improved sleep hygiene. This should include a consistent sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

Creating a relaxing bedtime routine can also help you fall asleep faster. Ideal activities that calm the mind, like reading, meditating, breathing exercises or other relaxation techniques help you unwind and relax. It is also advisable to avoid screens at least an hour before bed.

Optimising your sleep environment can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night to get more restorative sleep.

Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Buying a comfortable mattress and quality supportive pillows is a great investment in your sleep quality.

It helps to avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime, with regular physical activity another important element in your daily routine to improve sleep quality. Just avoid intense workouts close to bedtime.

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Supplement support

You can also take control of rising stress levels and support better sleep with specially formulated supplements.

For instance, stress support and adaptogen supplements Lifestyle Health Stress Support and FoodGrown Adrenal Burnout help to minimise stress and support the body and the immune system with various botanical ingredients that may support adrenal gland function to help regulate stress hormone production.

Similarly, sleep support supplements like Biogen Sure Sleep, Dis-Chem Gold Sleep Complex and FoodGrown Sleep Support contain natural botanical ingredients such as valerian extract, passion flower powder and hops extract, which may improve sleep quality, along with vitamins and minerals like magnesium and zinc, which increase GABA production – a neurotransmitter responsible for calming your central nervous system, relaxing you and preparing you for sleep.

A nootropic product like Noolit Chill Pill Capsules may help to calm the body and mind and promote restful and restorative sleep, with 5-HTP products such as Biogen 5-HTP Neuro an option to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls mood while promoting neural regeneration, which creates new cells and tissue to repair the nervous system.

References:

  1. O’Byrne NA, Yuen F, Butt WZ, Liu PY. Sleep and Circadian Regulation of Cortisol: A Short 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.
  2. Brice Faraut, Samir Nakib, Catherine Drogou, Maxime Elbaz, Fabien Sauvet, Jean-Pascal De Bandt, Damien Léger. Napping Reverses the Salivary Interleukin-6 and Urinary Norepinephrine Changes Induced by Sleep Restriction. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2015; jc.2014-2566 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-2566.