Sleep's Role In Enhancing Stress Resilience For Mental Well-Being
At some point, all mental health experts have entertained perplexed expressions from clients when urging sleep as the key to managing swirling thoughts. This is because not many realise that quality sleep helps you deal with stress more efficiently. Beyond it being an everyday health hack, the act of sleeping itself replenishes mental muscles, protecting us from feeling overwhelmed by stress. Here is the lowdown on how sleep replenishes mental resources to help you tide over the tough times while fully relishing the good times.
Hustle Culture is Hurting Our Rest
A term coined in the corporate world, ‘hustle culture’ is the notion that successful individuals are always hard at work. As being sleep-deprived became associated with hard work and success, alarming collective tiredness crept upon nations. For those succumbing to this culture, pushing 24/7 productivity and prioritising work over wellness became akin to a status symbol. Workplace surveys show that a vast percentage of employees struggle with some sleep disorders thanks to anxiety-provoking work environments. Despite realising burnout causes health concerns and emotional meltdowns, we grab coffee instead of sleep due to FOMO. This culture is unfortunate, as feeling incapable of slowing down to rest only causes the hamster wheel of stress to turn faster.
Sleep: A Balm To Soothe Stress
Daily irritability, weeping over minor mishaps, and negative thinking when tired, all signify that lack of quality sleep has impacted mental health. Alternatively, studies found well-rested participants handled stress testing much better through solution focus and calm despite equal external pressures.
The reasons? Certain neurobiological processes only occur during sleep. These replenish chemicals and pathways dealing with threats, helping you respond rationally and not reactively to stress. Sleep state nerves also strengthen coping skills and emotional stability, similar to psychological conditioning.
Simply put, when a person does not get adequate sleep, their body reacts as if in a distressed state. In this state, the body produces more cortisol - the stress hormone, which then causes lifestyle issues like high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. On the other hand, getting a good night’s sleep will decrease cortisol levels and allow your body to regulate itself during times of actual stress. Good sleep, then, will create a psychological armour, protecting you from traumatic responses to life’s expected twists and turns.
Along with adequate hours of sleep, high-quality rest also requires a good sleep routine. Our natural sleep-wake cycles work best when we stick to a regular schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Having a routine in the evening, including calming activities, can help relax your nervous system.
Since sleep so distinctly determines daily wellbeing, optimising our sleep space is vital. Try to limit disruptions from phones or thinking about work before bed. Reduce bright lights or loud sounds, and consider using blackout curtains, white noise, or a weighted blanket to help your body relax and get ready for sleep.
Don't forget to balance exercise, hydration, and nutrition for overall well-being.
Relying On Science For Quality Rest
The health-tech field has made several strides in the health mapping space, launching digital trackers that can educate individuals about their health, including sleep quality, heart rate, step tracking, etc. Now, the industry is going a step further with ‘Uber mindfulness wearable’ devices that not only help people know that they need to adopt better habits but can help them actively achieve them. New-age devices use futuristic tech like safe magnetic fields to stimulate the brain stem to enhance sleep quality, and subsequently help in better stress management. Such devices can nudge individuals towards better lifestyle habits to unlock long-lasting benefits like better concentration, mood, and ability to achieve work-life balance.
Bottomline
Still wondering whether prioritising sleep is unnecessary given everything else demanding attention? Consider abundant research revealing consistent quality sleep as the most reliable way to increase mental toughness in facing external stresses. Mood and resilience capabilities grow not through quick fixes but through regular rest. So, silence that inner voice and societal norms that push you to burn the midnight oil as the cost of success or productivity. Ignorning sleep risks long-term burnout, not extra output. Treat sleep as the health investment it is—an easy, essential anxiety antidote readily available to all.
Dr Lalitha Reddy, Ex Professor & Head of Dept of Radiology, Advisor at Evolv28
