Sleep and Stress: How to Break the Cycle and Get Restful Sleep

Stress is a factor that can disrupt your lifestyle and cause problems for your physical, mental and emotional health. Stress is a factor that is always present in today’s lifestyle. In order to let your body heal and protect your health, you need to reduce the level of stress in your body. Facing stress is something that every person experiences every day. 

Your body is made to withstand stress and repair itself. However, it can only repair itself when you help it rest. To reduce stress from your body, you have to be mindful of the sources from which you receive stress. Sleeping every night is your body’s way of combating the day’s stress. Your body needs rest and repair every night, which sleep provides. 

However, when your body is overworked and stressed beyond limits, your brain fails to shut down and experiences insomnia. The cycle of stress in your daily life can break your sleep cycle, not letting you stay healthy. For healthy sleep, you need to actively reduce stress from the body and cut the link between stress and sleepiness. Choose a mattress like the Dual mattress to sleep without stress.

How does stress affect the body? 

Chronic stress and exposure to stress-causing factors during the day can completely ruin your circadian rhythm. The dysregulation of the body clock has an adverse effect on your sleep cycle, and you are unable to sleep. As stress increases, so does the anxiety and worry in your mind. Sometimes, anxiety becomes deeply rooted, and worry converts to fear. 

A person can stay up all night because he is too afraid of what he will face the next day or what nightmares might stem from his stress. Stress can affect our physical and mental health very negatively. From body dysmorphia to hallucinations, there are so many side effects of stress that can be linked with all the diseases that people face in their lives. 

Our body is a complex system, and it needs a well-maintained routine to work with its maximum capability. Stress is the weight that imbalances this precarious balance. Even if you get the best sleep mattress for your bed, nothing will work until you have addressed your stress factors and helped your mind relax before sleep. The best effect of sleep can only be absorbed by the body when you have a reduced level of stress. 

Stress and poor sleep can be a cycle that is difficult to break. This is because when a person is stressed and depressed, he will experience poor quality of sleep. Even the best mattress in India can only give you a peaceful sleep when your mind is subconsciously relaxed. For complete relaxation, you need to adapt to stress-relieving techniques. 

On the other hand, if your sleep quality is already poor, then it can be a sign that you are more prone to psychological issues and anxiety. When your body does not get enough sleep, it wakes up with stress and then more stress accumulates in the body, which then leads to anxiety and poor lifestyle. Thus, stress and insomnia create a perpetual cycle of poor health for you. The need for sleep and stress management needs to be addressed simultaneously. 

The issue with a lot of people is that they fail to recognise that they are under constant stress. Stress has become so normal in today’s time that people are ignorant of the signs and effects of stress on their lives. 

What are the most common signs of stress? 

There are some common signs of stress that you should look out for. Instead of ignoring the signs, try to be mindful of what you feel and do what is necessary to know if you are stressed. 

Anxiety- Anxiety can manifest as a sign of stress because your mind does not rest. Stress from problems in one’s life can cause anxiety. The stress becomes so constant that often, people get anxious for things that do not require worry or fear. 

Lack of concentration- When your body is stressed, your mind is occupied with things that are wrong physically and mentally. As the mind becomes occupied with stress, it lacks concentration and focus. Your mind will drift to your worries, and you will not be able to do any kind of work or anything productive. The lack of focus at work and for simple tasks shows that you have chronic stress. Before you search for which mattress is best for sleeping, know about your stress levels and take steps to reduce their impact. 

Headaches- A major physical symptom that can affect a stressed-out person is headache. If you constantly feel pressure on your head and neck, then you are mentally and physically stressed. This stress can also show up as pain in the head and other localised pain. If you keep taking medicines but the headache does not go away, then it means it is deeply rooted in stress. You might even feel dizzy and nauseous when your body is stressed and overworked. Before selecting the best mattress for good sleep, look for stress symptoms and create a bedtime routine that can reduce stress. 

How do we reduce stress levels through better habits?

Reducing stress in your life can be a time-consuming process. However, the gradual reduction of stress slowly improves your lifestyle and helps you sleep better. Here are some habits that can reduce stress and improve sleep quality. 

Go to bed on time 

This is a simple habit that many find difficult to cultivate now. Going to bed late is seen as fashionable. The truth is going to bed at a fixed time and early is a sign of good health and mindset. You should go to bed sooner and wake up early. You should set a time for bed and follow it religiously. This corrects your body clock and also balances your hormones. This ensures that cortisol levels are lower, and you naturally drift off to sleep when night comes. Also, choose a mattress for better sleep that will make you excited to go to bed at night. For example, we have the Ortho Pro Spring mattress, which is best for physical stress relief.

Practice breathing exercises 

The body’s natural way of relaxing is paced breathing. When you do meditation before sleep and practice breathing exercises, it can help you relax your mind. This considerably reduces stress from your mind so you can sleep better. You can also try to do guided meditation or relax your muscle groups to combat physical stress. Breathing exercises can help you wind down and be more conscious of your body rhythm so you can sleep better. You can practise mindful meditation and breathing exercises for 10 to 15 minutes to relax your mind. This will also help you feel sleepy. 

Limit your caffeine intake 

Caffeine is a compound that makes your body, muscles, and mind active. Caffeine is found in coffee and tea, which people drink to stay awake. Drinking coffee occasionally might not affect your sleep cycle. However, the habit of drinking caffeine at night or evening can stress out your mind. Most people drink coffee at night when they have to study or work late. This also links coffee with overworking. Apart from caffeine, alcohol intake should also be limited so that you can sleep better. Alcohol has a damaging impact on nerves and the brain. Many people drink alcohol when they are sad or depressed. Such people need to adopt positive habits to reduce stress from their bodies. Drinking coffee or alcohol will only cause more stress. 

Write down your worries 

When your mind is racing because of worry, it can overwhelm you with stress. The best thing you can do at such a time is to write down the worries that come to your mind. This helps empty your mind of stray thoughts so that it can relax and rest. Keep a journal by your bedside and write down the thoughts that come to your mind so that you can sleep with a less reactive mind. These thoughts can be of gratitude and happiness, too. Positive thoughts can help you sleep more peacefully. Writing and scripting journals is a good practice as it helps us process our thoughts healthily. 

Read a book 

Do you want to escape when you face a lot of stress? Instead of escaping bad habits like drinking alcohol and self-harming, you should try reading a book. A book helps you calm down and also takes your mind off stressful thoughts. A book acts as a portal to a different world and can help you imagine better things. As book reading takes time, it can help the mind gradually relax before bed. Choose a book and read some pages of it before sleeping. Do not choose books that are boring or sad, as that can aggravate your stress levels. 

These are some habits and practices that can reduce stress levels in your body. After you get the answer to which mattress is good for sleep, you also need to find answers to what reduces your stress levels before heading to bed. 

Conclusion 

Stress is a major disruptor when it comes to the circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. Stress in the body needs to be reduced through physical and mental techniques for your sleep quality to improve. Choosing a good mattress like Spinetech Air Luxury mattress that has pressure point relief can also improve the restorative nature of sleep. Out of the best mattress brands in India, at Sleepwell, we create mattresses that are specially designed to take away your physical and mental stress.