Can't sleep because of stress? These are the causes, effects, and best tips!

Do you not suffer from sleep problems? Then you often fall asleep within half an hour and sleep on average 7 to 8 hours per night. 65% of adults achieve this, but there are also large differences:

• 8% of people are satisfied with less than 5 hours of sleep
• 2% of people need more than 10 hours of sleep

The number of hours of sleep people need depends on various factors. In addition, the need for sleep is biologically determined. Think of your age, sex, living situation, daily activity, and physical health.

When you experience sleep problems due to stress, it is important to do something about it. You can use sleeping pills for this, but there are also many natural remedies that can help you experience a better night's rest. These address the symptoms, which a pill does not.

Do you want to sleep well for the rest of your life? Then a lifestyle change is the most efficient. It requires a lot of perseverance, but it is the path that tackles the cause and can lead to a sustainable, good, and quality night's rest in the long term. This way you experience less stress and wake up refreshed again.

The cause of many poor nights' rest comes from stress. Think of tension, worries, fears, brooding, depression, restlessness, and other stress-related causes.

Physical problems can also lead to poor sleep. Think, for example, of small pains that keep returning, tension in the body, back, neck, and shoulder complaints, palpitations, headaches, breathing problems, and shortness of breath.

Stress and related conditions are often the culprit when it comes to poor sleep. It is therefore good to focus on tackling stress as the cause. Changes in lifestyle and techniques can work for all these causes.

To answer this question, we delve into the theory. Stress is a survival mechanism. This means it has an on-switch in the body. The stress system has been the same for thousands of years and has always protected people from dangers. When danger threatens, the whole body can quickly go into action mode, ready to fight or flee. When the danger has passed, the body returns to relaxation mode.

In the past, this was a very effective mechanism; however, nowadays we receive an enormous amount of stimuli daily. These stimuli activate your stress system throughout the day. The stress system is always on, which often leads to sleep problems due to overstimulation and stress.

If you want to sleep better and experience less stress, you can do two things:

1. Make lifestyle changes that reduce stress. For example, you can limit the number of stimuli in the evening.
2. Start exercises to reduce the stress we still have. Relaxation exercises help your body and mind switch from the busyness of the day to the calm of the night.

1. Reduce caffeine intake

That lovely cup of coffee. But when you sleep poorly due to stress, it is better not to drink it or only in moderation. Caffeine activates the stress part of your nervous system. You can say what you want, but it makes you more active. For example, do not drink coffee after 2 p.m.

2. Lower your screen time

The modern brain can handle a lot. Yet it can become overstimulated by the amount of information. When this happens, the brain finds it hard to calm down again. Looking at a screen certainly does not help. Therefore, try to look at your screen as little as possible after 8 p.m. This gives your brain time to process everything instead of constantly giving it new input.

3. Reduce the light in your home

As you now know, light has a huge impact on your night's rest. The bright screen of your computer or phone tells your brain that it is not yet time to sleep. But bright living room lights will have this effect on your brain as well. So dim the lights and turn off some lamps in the evening. Lighting candles can greatly reduce the light in your living room.

4. Drink a cup of tea in the evening

Drink a cup of tea in the evening to relax. Make sure it is caffeine-free tea. Choose, for example, a caffeine-free green tea or rooibos tea. This helps you to calm down and relax before going to sleep.

5. Listen to relaxing music

With relaxing music, you can create a calm atmosphere just before going to bed. By only listening to this, you relax and reduce your screen time. Win-win!

Any kind of physical movement helps when you suffer from sleep problems due to stress. Pay attention to the intensity of the movement you do and the time you exercise. When you exercise very actively late in the evening, your body remains in action mode for a while. The three exercises below help you get a better night's rest.

1. Yoga

Hatha and Yin Yoga are types of yoga that help your body and mind relax. These types of yoga are perfect if you suffer from sleep problems due to stress. Active yoga, such as vigorous Vinyasa or Power Yoga, is better avoided in the evening but is very nice to do in the morning or afternoon.

2. Meditation

Research has shown that, among others, Mindfulness meditations help reduce stress and improve sleep. People who practice Mindfulness meditation experience a significant improvement in sleep quality. In addition, symptoms of sleeplessness, fatigue, and depression decreased.

A sleep meditation is done just before going to sleep. The sleep meditation helps you switch from active to relaxed. There are various apps such as Calm or Headspace that help you relax before going to bed.

3. Breathing exercises

Do you find yoga or meditation a step too far? Then simple breathing exercises can also help you relax before sleeping. These reduce stress, allowing you to sleep better.

A breathing exercise before going to sleep that works well for many people is ‘ratio breathing’. Especially the 1:2 ratio. In other words: you make the exhalation twice as long as the inhalation. For example, breathe in for four seconds and out for eight seconds. This first ensures that your thoughts do not keep racing. Your attention is on your breathing.

To explain this well, we go back to the science behind the use of a weighted blanket; deep pressure stimulation (DPS). The weighted blanket applies pressure to certain parts of the body, which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.

When the parasympathetic nervous system activates, a feeling of calm arises because many of the body's automatic functions slow down.

You can read more about how our weighted blankets work on our "How does a weighted blanket work?" page.

We hope this blog has helped you understand the sleep problems that stress can bring. Be sure to try out our tips. If you have questions, you can always contact us.