Stress can have a significant impact on your overall health. The best way to relieve stress is to have a good sleep. Making lifestyle modifications with a healthy diet, exercise, and sound sleep can help tackle stress. This blog will allow you to learn how to sleep better when stressed.
Why is sleep essential to relieve stress?
As per research, it is confirmed that poor sleep can have adverse effects on all systems of the body, which include hormones or endocrine, and overall mental and physical well-being.
Therefore, it can take a toll on your health, putting you at risk and causing many issues, which include weight gain, blood pressure problems, and lack of focus and concentration. But on the other hand, sleep can help maintain a healthy hormonal balance, regulating the cortisol stress hormone. Hence, a good night’s sleep is essential to optimize health and release tension or stress.
Let us learn more about how to sleep better to relieve stress.
Top 15 tips to sleep better when you are stressed
Here are some evidence-based tips on how to sleep well to allow your body to recover from stress.
1. Maintain a suitable environment for sleep.
Choosing the right bedding with a comfortable mattress and pillow is essential for excellent sound sleep. You can also select black curtains to avoid intense light or sunlight directly reaching your eyes. Opt for soft music or sprinkle a few drops of organic essential oil on your pillow to help induce sleep naturally.
2. Check for bright lights during the day and dim lights during the evening
Environment and light have a significant impact on your sleep quality. A dark background helps in releasing melatonin hormone, which induces sleep naturally. It is advisable to opt for bright light during the day to make you more alert and wakeful and switch to dim lights post 7 pm as you wind up to make you feel more relaxed.
3. Do not consume caffeine late in the evening.
Coffee is a powerful stimulant to keep you awake and stimulate your “wake hormones.” Therefore, it is advisable not to consume caffeine late in the evening, which may cause you to stay alert at night.
You can opt for herbal green tea late in the evening to help relax you.
4. Avoid daytime naps
An afternoon nap is considered a power-packed break for many of us. It can refresh you instantly and re-energize you as well. It is recommended to avoid it as far as possible. This helps improve your sleep quality at night.
5. Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
A regular sleep schedule is a must. Fix a timer to remind you that you must unwind and hit the bed by 10:30 pm. Setting your sleep cycle and adhering to it in time will help improve sleep quality making you more productive during the day and reducing stress.
6. Opt for melatonin-rich foods for dinner.
This is a great option to help induce sleep naturally. Opt for some rice that helps release melatonin and stimulate your sleep hormones. Switch to oats- chapatis in the afternoon and opt for some rice in the evening.
7. Consider consuming magnesium-rich foods in the late evening.
Have a sweet tooth? Natural sweets such as dark chocolate can help you relax by releasing stress. You can also grab a magnesium-rich banana that enables you to release stress hormones.
8. Keep yourself hydrated
Ensure to maintain your optimum hydration levels. Sip in water gradually as you end the day. Let us not forget that you will stay off water during the night, which may dehydrate you. Just sipping in water regularly can help you maintain hydration levels at night.
9. Avoid alcohol or smoking.
Are you addicted to alcohol or smoking? Quit it right away. Alcohol and smoking are harmful to health. It is important to take care of your health in the right manner. Avoiding alcohol and smoking can have many positive effects on sleep. It helps in rectifying the brain metabolism in the right manner.
10. Set the bedroom temperature.
Setting the bedroom temperature can help in sound sleep. It is essential to have a perfect setting for bedroom temperature for any kind of sleep disturbance. An ideal ambiance and a good environment help in cozy sleep. It is necessary to maintain an optimum body temperature that is not too hot or cold is essential. You can also opt for airy open windows for better sleep.
11. Relax or clear your mind in the evening as you unwind
Meditate for a while and take out some time for yourself before you hit the bed. It is essential to hit the bed with a relaxed mind rather than being confused with overcrowded thoughts, which may disrupt sleep.
12. Read a book at bedtime
Enjoy a book that will help you get tired and induce natural sleep. For better sleep, ensure to read a book, preferably with healthy thoughts. Reading some motivational quotes can help. Bedtime sleep with happy thoughts is excellent for boosting good sleep.
13. Take a walk post-dinner.
It is essential to take a walk post-dinner to help digest your food and metabolize it correctly. You can also enjoy a workout post-dinner to help you get tired and induce sleep naturally.
14. A relaxing hot water shower in the evening can be great for inducing sleep
Hot shower with lukewarm water can be very relaxing in the evening and great for inducing sleep. You can also add some drops of essential oil to the bucket of water for bathing, which is very relaxing. Indulge in creamy body washes, which leave a subtle fragrance for a happy sleep.
15. Exercise and meditate during the day.
Exercising and meditating during the day are essential to release stress levels. This lowers stress or cortisol levels and releases “feel good hormones” for better sleep at night.
Conclusion
Sound sleep plays a significant role in your health. Lack of sleep can bring many health issues affecting your internal body and show up externally on your skin and hair. The primary reason behind this is a build-up of chronic stress. Insufficient sleep can put you at risk of cortisol buildup, causing major health issues. So, follow these tips as mentioned above to help you sleep better when you are stressed out.
