"When we talk about stress, we tend to associate it with something extremely negative when in reality, it is a simple physical and emotional reaction that is quite natural and, as long as the right amount occurs, it can be useful. Of course, if we look at it from a more excessive knit of view, it can bring serious consequences such as physical and mental deterioration, and it is a fact that stress impacts sleep."
Stress can be defined as that physical reaction capable of activating a state of alert in the human body to prepare it for a risky situation or one that requires quick action. In this way, it can vary and present as acute or chronic stress.
When we talk about acute stress, it is described as stress that occurs in the short term and is experienced occasionally. This type of stress can occur in such risky situations, activating the body and mind to adapt to the danger and subsequently resolve it.
Now, when we talk about chronic stress, we are talking about a constant condition which, in the long run, becomes harmful. This is capable of keeping the body and mind in a constant state of alert and from here, health problems can arise.
This condition contributes to a host of health problems such as: digestive problems, headaches, induced asthma attacks, mood disorders causing depression and anxiety, and it can also make it difficult to sleep and increase your risk of disorders. .
PProcess of How Stress Impacts Sleep
As we mentioned previously, stress is an important process for the body because it is a survival mechanism in dangerous situations, but, when this is maintained for a prolonged process, it can negatively affect the body and trigger health problems at different levels. .
Problems can be seen at the level of hormonal functioning since, when the body is exposed to a threat, the production of hormones that cause stress such as adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol increases; Thus, they are capable of triggering other physical changes and allow the body to remain in a fight or flight position. Thus, during chronic stress, these hormones are activated unnecessarily.
On the other hand, problems are also seen at the muscular level, tensing all of these during the stress process. Here, if the reaction is not reduced, chronic muscle tension can cause painful back and headache conditions.
Also, one of the most severe impacts can be seen at the respiratory level. Here, stress can make breathing shorter and faster, while for people with a history of respiratory conditions such as asthma or lung diseases it can be worse.
The impact on blood pressure is also significant because hormones activated by stress cause certain blood vessels to dilate and cause blood pressure to increase. It should be noted that continued stress can cause inflammation and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Traumatic stress is also a type of chronic stress that can occur when a person is exposed to a traumatic event. While many people can cope with the effects of some trauma experienced over time, sometimes the body's response to stress can be prolonged and begins to interfere with other parts of a person's life.
Relationship between Sleep and Stress
Although we already mentioned what stress is and its repercussions on a physical and mental level, it is also important to note that stress has a fairly close relationship with sleep and that they have a bidirectional relationship.
Stress is one of the main causes of loss of sleep and little rest. But it also happens the other way around and lack of sleep can generate a lot of stress. While the link between sleep and stress goes much further, research can show that there are several effects of stress on sleep.
And the fact is that stress is responsible for making the task of falling asleep more difficult and, therefore, people who suffer from chronic stress are the most likely to suffer from insomnia, a common sleep disorder that, in the majority In most cases, it is developed by a case of prolonged stress.
Here the structure of sleep can be altered. Although this is still in the research process, those who study it say that stress can reduce “slow wave sleep,” which is extremely important to maintain physical and mental health.
In addition to being the main cause of insomnia, stress is also capable of interrupting sleep. The individual who is capable of suffering from it will not only wake up during rest time, but may also suffer nightmares or even sleep paralysis.
"Even in some cases, sleep bruxism is also present, which is a disorder that involves clenching and grinding teeth during the night. At this knit, chronic stress and muscle tension can increase the risk of suffering from it."
How can you reduce stress and rest better?
It is normal for many days to be filled with work or personal problems, but you have to learn to balance them, in addition to dedicating a few good hours to sleep and rest.
It may seem irrelevant, but with this pathology that affects sleep and rest, we must take into account anything that makes us feel comfortable, even physically, especially when it comes to sleeping and resting.
Therefore, we must consider the use of appropriate clothing at bedtime, such as men's pajamas, since it is an ideal garment to begin that path towards the development of improvement therapy.
Of course, developing a plan to deal with stress is a fundamental step to prevent sleep from being interrupted, and undoubtedly a comfortable piece of clothing like good pajamas, which is characterized by improving sleep or Maintaining comfort will be the best company when it comes to starting to work on yourself.
The use of comfortable clothing should be considered in a disciplined manner. And pyjamas can come in endless cuts, colors, fabrics and more. So there is to choose from.
Anxiety and Sleep
Severe sleep disorders, including insomnia, have long been recognized as a common symptom of anxiety disorders. People who suffer from this and are normally plagued by worries often reflect on them in bed and anxiety can also cause problems falling asleep.
Therefore, it is important to emphasize that, although it is important to develop a more organized routine to avoid feeling stress or anxiety at all costs, this is compounded by the fact that sleep schedules must also be respected. Thus complying with a relaxation routine and opting for the use of sufficiently comfortable pajamas and, as we mentioned above, in a disciplined manner to ensure comfort at bedtime.