Apr 4 in Sleep Metrics 💤
Follow this one tip to beat off overwhelming stress from work
Evening team - borrow me your eyeballs!
Mikhail here - Head Coach at Peak Health Systems.
Have you ever got home after work and even though you seem physically exhausted, thoughts are still swirling around. Things that need doing are crowding you, which is all making it rather difficult to relax and switch off.
Too much stress will almost override anything when it comes to falling asleep and getting quality sleep. So, if you have had a full-on day and maybe have not had time to separate yourself from work mode into relax mode then this stress level will be a blockade for quality sleep to occur.
Your brains way of processing emotions and stressful experiences is to increase the amount of REM sleep it requires.
REM sleep is vital for emotional processing and dealing with stress.
We typically have 3-5 cycles of REM sleep per night occurring every 90-120mins. REM sleep progressively increases through the night and builds to longer REM cycles towards the 6–8-hour mark.
Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep each night. So, if you short yourself by 90 minutes or more you can lose an entire sleep cycle. When we sacrifice REM sleep cycles, we disrupt circadian code.
It is this chronic shortening of our sleep cycles that leads to chronic stress and inability to manage stress, which then leads to daytime exhaustion, brain fog, burn out, cognitive sluggishness, a decline in performance and fat gain; notably belly fat.
Several habits can hinder REM sleep.
Here are five of them:
Alcohol Consumption Before Bed: While alcohol can make you feel drowsy initially, it disrupts the sleep cycle, including REM sleep. It can reduce the time spent in REM sleep and result in fragmented sleep patterns.
Caffeine Intake Before Bed: Consuming caffeine, typically found in coffee, tea, and some sodas, too close to bedtime can interfere with the onset and duration of REM sleep, as it is a stimulant that can keep you awake.
Using Electronic Devices Before Bed: The blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets, and computers can suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. This can delay the onset of REM sleep and disrupt your overall sleep quality.
Inconsistent Sleep Schedule: Frequent changes in your sleep schedule or irregular sleep patterns can negatively impact REM sleep. Your body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, plays a significant role in regulating REM sleep, and disruptions to this rhythm can reduce the time spent in REM sleep.
Stress and Anxiety: High levels of stress and anxiety can lead to increased wakefulness during the night and reduce the overall time spent in REM sleep. Emotional disturbances can also affect the quality of your dreams during REM sleep.
It's important to note that individual factors can influence the impact of these habits on REM sleep.
Establishing a consistent sleep routine, actively managing stress by practicing down-regulation in real time, and adopting healthy sleep hygiene practices can help improve the quality and quantity of REM sleep.
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Follow this one tip to beat off overwhelming stress from work
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