Sleep and Stress

If we are stressed during the day, we are far less likely to have deep, fulfilling, sufficient sleep at nighttime. A stressed mind leads to a stressed body, and a stressed body doesn’t easily rest. It is stuck ‘on’ in a survival mode…it senses there is danger and it needs to stay alert. 

That’s what stress is….a fight/flight//freeze mode that instead of being activated for survival short term, tends to get activated chronically. 

Those hormones- cortisol, adrenalin- are not good for our bodies when stuck on. And the body isn’t going to easily sink into blissful slumber all night and wake peaceful and rested….if it is stuck in a survival stress pattern. It will instead sleep lightly, so that it can be alert for danger. These are ancient evolutionary mechanisms not easily bypassed. 

Even low levels of chronic stress- stress levels that seem almost beneath our awareness- can do this. This is because stress is so normalised in our culture, we often don’t realise we are stressed. 

So working with stress in our daylight hours, learning to live at a slower pace, and stepping back from the modern pace of life whenever possible, is one of the best things to do to heal disturbed sleep patterns. Working with childhood or adult trauma can also be helpful, because trauma can also keep the stress homrones switched on. 

Good sleep is worth it. It changes our whole quality of life, and it helps reduce inflammation, helps the body repair itself, helps the body normalise its weight, helps prevent chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.