Sleep problems: what if it was stress?

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Extract from the article: Identifying the source of your stress and working to reduce it can improve your sleep and your health. The key is to get out of the spiral where stress prevents sleep and lack of sleep increases stress.

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Identifying the source of your stress and working to reduce it can improve your sleep and your health. The key is to get out of the spiral where stress prevents sleep and lack of sleep increases stress.

Stress and sleep are closely linked. Stress can affect the quality and duration of sleep, while insufficient sleep can increase stress levels. Sleeping less than 7 hours a night can lead to long-term physical and mental health problems. The exact role of sleep has not yet been fully deciphered by researchers, but studies have shown that sleeping well helps to repair muscles and improve mental functions such as concentration.

According to Dr. Raphael Ehlan, a sleep physician, « lack of sleep is linked to mood disorders, lack of energy and attention, and more generally to a general inability to function as usual. A bad night's sleep is unlikely to cause harm, but chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression ».

Stress also causes the release of hormones that increase the heart rate and prepare the body to react, especially in the event of danger. While this process was vital for human survival in the early stages of evolution, it is now triggered in situations that do not pose a life-threatening threat, such as problems at work or difficulties in relationships.

Changing lifestyles

Feeling stressed for long periods of time can have an impact on health and lead to sleep deprivation, for example. But how can we break out of this spiral? By reducing stress, especially in the evening before bedtime. Exercise is a very useful tool for improving mental and physical health, reducing stress and anxiety. Other lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, reducing caffeine and alcohol consumption, avoiding bringing work home, and taking advantage of the support of loved ones, also work very well. Reducing stress is not easy, but eliminating the sources of anxiety is essential to getting good sleep and balance in your life.

William O.