1. Stress Makes Sleep Difficult
During periods of stress, it can be difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep. Waking up at some point between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. is a very common problem for people under stress. What's worse is that sleep difficulties can worsen the stress that caused the sleep difficulties in the first place. Sleepy people find it difficult to cope with frustration and problems during the day. A survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who get too little sleep are much more likely than people who sleep well to feel angry and dissatisfied.
2. Stress-Related Sleep Deprivation Has Consequences
Sleep experts claim that the effects of losing four hours of sleep is equivalent to being drunk and having a blood alcohol level of 0.1 percent. About 30 percent of American adults say that during the past three months, they've made mistakes at work or missed work or another activity altogether because of sleep problems.
3. Stress Hormones May Affect Sleep Directly
When we're stressed, we release higher amounts of a stimulating stress hormone called CRH, which is short for corticotropin-releasing hormone. In one study, young men and middle-aged men were given CRH before sleep. The middle-aged men were very sensitive to the effects of this hormone, and the high levels that the researchers gave them made it difficult for them to get to sleep. Further, CRH made sleep lighter, so it was difficult for them to stay asleep.
4. Less Sleep = More Depression
People who are chronically sleep-deprived are at higher risk for depression. This is a particular problem for people who don't get enough deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep. This seems to be the phase of sleep that is easily disrupted by the stress hormone CRH.
5. Cope with Stress to Sleep Tight
A group of Israeli researchers found that stress coping style may influence how well we sleep when under lots of pressure. They looked at a group of young adult students during a regular month of school work and again during a period of higher academic stress. Students who focused on their emotions and fretted about being anxious had trouble getting enough sleep. But students who could focus on the tasks at hand and tried to avoid pondering their emotions and anxieties had fewer sleep problems. Experts at the National Sleep Foundation recommend that you start to slow down about two hours before you plan to go to bed for the evening. Stop all "activating" activities like working, studying, and talking on the phone. During the last hour before bed, read or listen to music--but preferably not your dance mix.
