Sleep To De-stress: How Sleep & Stress Are Related

S L E E P on your problems & watch your life change!

Don’t believe us? Evidence suggests that sleeping on your problems can help you make better decisions! The impossible problem you were mulling over could feel like a minor issue after a good night’s sleep. Rest breeds clarity. Good quality sleep can help you think clearly & maximise your potential across different areas of life. Continue reading to educate yourself on how sleep & stress are related and why you need to sleep more on your problems!

 

Lack Of Sleep

First, let’s talk about what lack of sleep can do. Lack of rest can literally affect every part of your life negatively.

CDC recommends the following amounts of sleep in a 24-hour period:

India falls way behind when it comes to sleeping hours. We are the second most sleep-deprived country in the world. This is a cause of worry for us, and as Indians, a good night’s sleep is one aspect we must focus on.

 

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Lack of sleep is not a choice. Everybody loves a good night's sleep, and there must be a strong reason for people to rest less than their bodies require. Here are the three most common causes of sleep deprivation:

  1. Stress: Stress is our response to challenging situations in life. The right amount of stress could be a positive force that drives us forward. But chronic stress can cause severe damage in our lives. Sleep deprivation is just one of the many damages stress is capable of.
  2. Shift work: Working irregular shifts can change your sleeping patterns and give rise to various health complications. According to a study conducted on 194 irregular shift workers, most shift workers were dissatisfied with their quality of sleep. Shift work can negatively impact your health, stress levels, and overall quality of life.
  3. Lack of time: Time management is an essential skill. It is important to prioritize in order to manage time. However, most of us end up prioritizing everything else but health. Sleep often takes a back seat for most of us. One of the best ways to tackle this problem is to schedule your time for rest and change your bedtime habits. Some ways you could tackle this:
    • Develop a sleeping routine: wake up & sleep around the same time everyday.
    • Ditch electronics 2 hours before bedtime.
    • Before bedtime, avoid activities like extreme physical activity that increase your heart rate.
    • Ensure that your sleep area is quiet, dark & has a cool temperature.

 

Sleep To De-stress

Rest, nutrition and working out are three critical pillars of fitness. However, most of us don’t prioritize rest, which can have severe health complications in the long run.

A tired mind & body makes you prone to agitation, impatience, and stress. In such cases, sleeping on your problems can help.

Here are three reasons why you need to Sleep To De-stress:

  1. Improve overall well-being: The first three stages of the arousal continuum (as shown in the below image) lead to poor mental & physical outcomes. Our ability to manage stress depends on our overall levels of arousal or alertness and entering states of calm, which happens when we sleep.

 

  1. Reduce your cortisol levels: Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. Think of it as an alarm system that goes off when things go wrong. The hormone works with certain parts of the brain to control mood, motivation, and fear. Increased stress leads to increased cortisol levels, and the converse is also true. Increased cortisol levels can lead to problems such as:
    • Anxiety & depression
    • Headaches
    • Heart disease
    • Memory & concentration problems
    • Problems with digestion
    • Weight gain

 

A good night’s sleep can reduce cortisol levels and help you manage stress at a biological level.

 

  1. Improve your mental health!

Deep sleep improves overall quality of life and mental health, which could result from better-managed stress and giving the body the rest it deserves. Trust us, sleeping like a baby is one of the best things you can do when it comes to solving life’s most complicated problems!

 

Conclusion

We discussed at length about the relationship between sleep and stress. We hope that was an insightful read. One point of discussion that is not mentioned in the main body of this blog is that of nutrition. Eating the right foods is important for sleeping well and managing stress.

And Nature & Thought’s Zen Panda – an all-natural, long-acting, patent-pending Ashwagandha does just that. With more than 20+ bioactives and a 1-A-Day dose, i.e., a single daily dose, Zen Panda can help with all-day stress management. The supplement has also been researched to show significant improvement in various aspects affecting sleep quality.

So, grab your pack today & say hello to deep sleep.

 

References:

  • WebMD
  • Indian Express
  • MedlinePlus
  • YouTube
  • De Nys L, Anderson K, Ofosu EF, Ryde GC, Connelly J, Whittaker AC. The effects of physical activity on cortisol and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022 Sep;143:105843. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105843. Epub 2022 Jun 24. PMID: 35777076.
  • Choi DW, Chun SY, Lee SA, Han KT, Park EC. Association between Sleep Duration and Perceived Stress: Salaried Worker in Circumstances of High Workload. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Apr 19;15(4):796. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040796. PMID: 29671770; PMCID: PMC5923838.

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