3 Reasons why you can’t sleep
We’re no strangers to the effect poor sleep has on our mood during the day. But what about when you go to sleep? Have you thought about how your state of mind from the day might affect how you sleep at night? Meet the 3 culprits that could be causing your sleep woes:
When we feel anxious or out of control, our brains go into full-on "fight or flight" mode, releasing adrenaline that gets our hearts racing, muscles pumped, and glucose flowing. This also triggers the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. High levels of stress and worry can interfere with the release of melatonin, which is the hormone responsible for signaling our bodies to get ready for a good night's rest.
Anxiety can also mess with our daily habits that are crucial for a good night's rest.
For example, feeling too stressed to exercise or working late to tackle those extra tasks can really throw off our sleep game. And let's be real, relying on alcohol to wind down might feel good at the moment, but it can seriously mess with our sleep quality.
So you can't sleep because you can't... sleep? Yes, lack of sleep is a vicious cycle. Getting less than six hours of sleep per night makes our amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the fight or flight stress response, more sensitive. In short, we get more stressed by negative events after a restless night.
Sleep is not just a time for your body to rest; it's a complex process that helps regulate the production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters and hormones, such as serotonin and dopamine.
When sleep deprivation takes hold, a host of mood-related issues may arise, including irritability, depression, and anxiety. These issues create a vicious cycle, as stress and anxiety make falling asleep and staying asleep even more challenging. Fear not! With the right techniques you can learn to manage stress and anxiety before bed. And guarantee you get the glorious sleep you deserve.
Throughout this Mental Health Awareness month, we’ll be bringing you the best of our in-house techniques to help put the angst aside and pave the way for better sleep. Stay tuned in and subscribed to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
