With 86% of the population saying they are concerned about day-to-day living costs (1), stress can impact your life in many ways, but how does stress affect your sleep? It’s late at night, you’re lying in bed, worrying and feeling anxious, which makes it almost impossible to turn off your brain, relax and fall asleep. People who suffer from chronic stress find that they have poorer sleep quality, and find it harder to function during the day.
The Science of Stress
When you experience a perceived threat, your body’s stress response is triggered. As a result, your body will experience physical changes, such as shallow breathing and a burst of energy from the release of adrenaline and cortisol. This is sometimes described as the ‘fight or flight’ response, but it isn’t always the appropriate way to deal with the stresses of modern life.
How Does Stress Affect Sleep?
If you don’t sleep enough at night, your body boosts its levels of stress hormones. When you enter a deep sleep, the brain chemicals tell the body to stop the production of stress hormones. As a result, when you don’t sleep well, your body keeps pumping out those stress hormones. When you wake up the next day, you feel more stressed, and the following night you might find it harder to fall asleep. The more exhausted you feel, the harder it is for you to focus at work and at home, leading to even more stress. This can make you irritable with friends and family, causing stress over relationships(2).
Sleep and Busy People
Busy people may have trouble getting enough sleep, because being busy and not devoting eight hours a night to sleep can trigger the stress response. This can lead to a cycle of stress and trouble falling asleep. It’s important to allow yourself eight hours for sleep at night time, no matter how busy you may be.
Stress, Sleep and Your Health
People who have high, prolonged levels of stress have a higher risk of heart disease, depression, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, stomach issues, and more. They are also more likely to grind or clench their teeth, which can lead to dental problems. That’s why it’s so important if you feel overly tense, to try different stress relief methods and to make getting plenty of sleep a high priority(3).
Footnotes
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/risk/rethink-risk/insights/how-the-cost-of-living-crisis-is-changing-people-s-behaviours-an.html
- https://www.verywellmind.com/relationship-between-stress-and-sleep-3144945
- https://www.sleep.org/articles/sleep-and-stress/
