Sleep is health! There is nothing like it to get back on your feet after a good day of classes / work / frags / conquering the world than to happily let yourself drift into the arms of Morpheus. Except that sometimes Morpheus is on strike. Stress and anxiety often team up to prevent you from falling asleep. Why? And how can you finally close your eyes when pressure knocks at the door? Our tips and tricks.
PS: We explain everything from the beginning, but if you want to skip directly to our method, don't hesitate!
Stress, fatigue and insomnia: a true vicious cycle
Insomnia is one of those sleep disorders that ruins our lives. It is often linked to stress or anxiety.
What is the link between insomnia and stress?
When stress invades us, our body turns into a real hormone factory, with a wild production of cortisol.
This little imp can then have fun sabotaging our ability to nod off and snore peacefully all night long.
🤯 And there, the vicious cycle is set in motion!
Fatigue worsens anxiety and makes stressful situations even more difficult to manage. Stress prevents us from sleeping, and insomnia further amplifies stress.
What can be the consequences of an accumulation of stress before sleeping?
An accumulation of stress before sleeping can have consequences on our health and well-being. In addition to insomnia, stress can lead to:
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🥱 Persistent fatigue,
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🥴 Decreased concentration,
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💾 Memory problems,
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🤦♀️ A drop in cognitive efficiency,
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🤒 A decrease in the efficiency of the immune system,
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❤ An increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
What are the symptoms of insomnia?
Insomnia manifests through different symptoms that can vary from person to person. Common symptoms of insomnia include:
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🕐 Difficulty falling asleep,
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👀 Frequent waking during the night,
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😪 Non-restorative sleep,
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😩 Feeling tired upon waking,
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🛏 Daytime drowsiness,
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😡 Irritability,
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🙃 Concentration difficulties.
The causes of stress and their impact on falling asleep
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💻 Work stress: work demands, long hours spent at the office and tight deadlines can generate anxiety and lead to insomnia.
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👩❤️👨 Relationship stress: unresolved tensions and recurring arguments can create a state of anxiety and restlessness that persists even during the night.
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💰 Financial stress: financial insecurity and worries related to expenses can haunt us during the night.
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❤️🩹 Emotional stress: when we are overwhelmed by intense emotions, our brain is agitated and it becomes difficult to find the calm necessary to fall asleep.
There may be deeper causes but they are always linked to these broad categories. Childhood trauma that makes our body exist in a perpetual state of stress, a more anxious personality linked to upbringing, or simply a particular character trait...
The first thing to do is really to try to identify the ultimate cause of the problem. Because once identified, you can truly begin to work on a relevant solution. It will be much faster!
[THE BASICS] The essentials for better sleep when stressed
1 - Create a soothing sleep routine
Taking care of your sleep is an entire ritual. We have prepared a great, beautiful, and complete guide on how to sleep better. It is overflowing with good advice, so devour it from the first to the last word! To defeat insomnia, it is time to develop an unstoppable strategy. Put on your combat pajamas, get ready for nighttime action, and here are some foolproof tips:
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🕙 Establish regular bedtimes and wake-up times, even on your days off. By following a consistent sleep routine, our body can adjust to a natural rhythm and make falling asleep easier.
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🧘♀️ Bedtime ritual: remember to favor relaxing activities before sleep. This could be taking a warm bath, reading a soothing book, listening to soft music, or practicing relaxation exercises. You thus condition your brain to associate these actions with relaxation and sleep.
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📺 Avoid screens before going to bed: phone, tablet, and computer screens emit blue light that can inhibit the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep. Protect yourself and ideally, let some time pass between your last screen session and the moment you curl up under the covers. Yes, that means not scrolling in bed!
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🛌 Create an environment conducive to falling asleep: ensure your room is well-ventilated, quiet, and dark. Set the temperature to a comfortable level (between 16 and 18°C is ideal), neither too hot nor too cold.
2 - Adapt your lifestyle to sleep better
The most essential thing to do, the most fundamental, is to regain your balance in daily life. Do you have time for yourself? To take care of your body and mind? If you always feel like you are going 100 miles an hour, that is undoubtedly where you need to investigate.
Goal: activating the virtuous cycle.
The more time you take to put these fundamental pillars of a healthy life in place, the less you will stress, the better you will sleep, and the more productive and rested you will be at the same time. Okay, let's do it.
🥗 Balanced diet: foods favorable to sleep
Avoid heavy meals rich in fats before bedtime, as they can cause digestion problems and disrupt your night.
Opt instead for a balanced diet, with meat or fish in the evening, legumes, starchy foods, and lean proteins. Timing also matters a lot. Give your body time to digest and not be in "overdrive" when you go to bed. The best thing is to finish the meal 3 hours before going to sleep. Not easy, but you get nothing for nothing (you used to make fun of old people who eat and go to bed like chickens, but the older generation has good reasons!).
🤸♂️ Regular physical activity: to be well in your head and body
Physical exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones that promote relaxation and well-being.
It is THE simplest physical mechanism you can work on to regain your mental balance.
Avoid, however, doing intense exercise too close to bedtime, as this can indeed stimulate your body and make falling asleep more difficult.
🕰 Time management and priorities: reducing stress
Poor management of time and priorities can lead to stress and create insomnia.
Avoid overloading yourself with tasks and learn to say no when necessary.
Instead of taking each task one by one on the fly, take the time to plan your days.
Horus X suggestions: we use several tools. To manage our projects, we use Monday; to manage our schedule, Google Calendar.
🎨 Stress management techniques during the day: relaxation, meditation, hobbies
In addition to relaxation techniques specific to sleep, one must also know how to develop general anxiety management strategies.
Explore different relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, outdoor walking, or practicing a hobby that gives you pleasure.
Identify the activities that help you relax and recharge, and integrate them into your workplace and your daily life.
2 - [Advanced techniques] - Relaxation to promote falling asleep
For nights of dreams and sweet snoring, there is nothing like putting real relaxation techniques into place. Forget the worries of the day and dive into an ocean of zen. Get to work!
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🌬 Deep breathing is a technique to relax and promote falling asleep. By focusing on our breathing, inhaling slowly and deeply through the nose, then exhaling through the mouth, we can slow our heart rate, relax our muscles, and calm our mind.
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🧎♂️ Meditation and mindfulness are practices that promote mental and emotional relaxation. By focusing on the present moment and observing our thoughts without judgment, we can reduce stress, calm down, and prepare our body for sleep. We all read and apply the advice in our practical guide Meditation and Concentration
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🧘♂️ Yoga and stretching: to relax the body and release tensions accumulated during the day. We relieve tense muscles, promote blood circulation, and prepare our body for restful sleep.
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🏞 Visualization techniques: Visualization consists of creating mental images and soothing thoughts to induce relaxation and promote falling asleep. By imagining peaceful scenes, we can calm our mind and create a mental environment conducive to sleep.
Other solutions for falling asleep when stressed
In addition to the techniques mentioned previously, there are other solutions to help you fall asleep when you are stressed. Here are some additional options to consider:
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👨⚕️ Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to identify and change negative thought patterns and counterproductive behaviors related to stress.
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📱 Use of applications and devices for sleep tracking that can help monitor sleep quality and better understand your habits (we, for one, particularly use the Oura ring; do you know it?)
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🍵 Resorting to complementary therapies such as herbal medicine or aromatherapy. Consult a doctor for recommendations on the safe and effective use of these therapies.
Can one have insomnia not linked to stress?
Although stress is one of the main causes of insomnia, other factors can contribute:
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mood disorders,
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a specific health condition,
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medications,
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environmental changes,
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inappropriate sleep habits.
Stress-related insomnia: final thoughts
It is possible to fight against stress-related insomnia by tackling the problem at the source.
By using relaxation techniques, creating a soothing sleep routine, adapting your lifestyle, and exploring other solutions, it is possible to manage to fall asleep even during periods of stress.
Focus on the aspects of your life that you can control. Learn to organize yourself to control your schedule. Make a to-do list; you will see, there is a real joy in marking a task as accomplished! Remember to look at the bright side of life, whistle, whistle-whistle-whistle. Go see your friends in person or online.
Confront your fears! Remember, stress is all in your head, and if you confront the situation, you will realize that the danger was not so terrible. Unless the danger is a lion. If it is a lion, change sidewalks. And fast.
If sleep disorders persist, it is recommended to consult a healthcare professional for appropriate treatment.
