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Stress Management
Munay
Stress Management
Understand how calming activities like deep breathing or meditation can help you relax and sleep more peacefully. Learn how to build this healthy sleep habit with Munay.
Why it matters
In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become a common part of daily life.
Whether from work, personal relationships, or other life pressures, stress can affect your ability to unwind and get a good night’s sleep.
Learning to manage stress and develop a positive mindset can greatly improve your sleep quality, helping you fall asleep faster, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling refreshed.
What is stress management?
Stress management means using healthy ways to cope with and reduce stress, like deep breathing, exercise, talking to someone, or taking breaks. It helps you stay calm, focused, and better able to handle challenges in daily life.
Science behind it
Stress is a major disruptor of sleep.
When you’re stressed or anxious, your body enters a heightened state of alertness, known as the “fight or flight” response, which can prevent you from relaxing and falling asleep.
The hormone cortisol, known as the “stress hormone”, plays a central role in this process. When cortisol levels are elevated, your body remains in a state of readiness, making it difficult to wind down. This can lead to difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or feeling unrested in the morning.
On the other hand, a positive mindset and effective stress management strategies can help lower cortisol levels, making it easier for your body to relax and prepare for sleep. Research shows that individuals who actively manage stress and cultivate a positive outlook tend to experience better sleep quality and duration.
In fact, mindfulness-based practices and cognitive behavioural strategies are often recommended for improving sleep and reducing the impact of stress.
Benefits for your health
Good sleep is essential for overall health, and chronic stress can undermine the restorative effects of sleep. Poor sleep, in turn, can increase stress levels, creating a vicious cycle that negatively impacts both physical and mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to a range of health problems, including weakened immune function, poor cognitive performance, and increased susceptibility to anxiety and depression.
By managing stress and fostering a positive mindset, you can break this cycle and promote better sleep, which in turn supports overall well-being. Reducing stress and improving sleep quality are essential for both mental clarity and emotional resilience.
How to build this habit
Here are some practical steps to consider that you can turn into healthy habits:
- Practice mindfulness meditation: Studies show that mindfulness meditation can reduce stress and improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and lowering cortisol levels. Even just 10–15 minutes a day can have a significant impact.
- Engage in deep breathing exercises: Deep breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to calm your body and mind before bed.
- Physical relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body. This technique helps release physical tension and signals to the brain that it’s time to relax.
- Create a calming pre-sleep routine: Engage in soothing activities before bed - such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, or listening to calming music - to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
- Develop a positive mindset: Try practicing gratitude or reframing negative thoughts. People with a more optimistic outlook tend to have better sleep because they experience lower levels of stress and less rumination.
- Set boundaries and practice self-care: Avoid over-committing to tasks or responsibilities, and make time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Prioritize sleep as an essential part of your self-care routine.
Conclusion
Stress plays a critical role in the quality of your sleep. Chronic stress increases cortisol levels and keeps your body in a heightened state of alertness, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. However, by adopting effective stress management techniques and fostering a positive mindset, you can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve your sleep quality. A well-rested body and mind are essential for maintaining overall health, improving emotional resilience, and enhancing daytime productivity.
Build this habit
Start building the habit of stress management with Munay, your intelligent habit companion. Go to Get Munay to download the app or visit Munay App to learn more about it.
Sources
- Åkerstedt, T., Orsini, N., Petersen, H., Axelsson, J., Lekander, M., & Kecklund, G. (2012). Predicting sleep quality from stress and prior sleep–a study of day-to-day covariation across six weeks. Sleep medicine, 13(6), 674-679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2011.12.013
- Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Naranjo, J. R., & Schmidt, S. (2012). Influence of mindfulness practice on cortisol and sleep in long-term and short-term meditators. Neuropsychobiology, 65(3), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1159/000330362
- Chellappa, S. L., & Aeschbach, D. (2022). Sleep and anxiety: From mechanisms to interventions. Sleep medicine reviews, 61, 101583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101583
- Han, K. S., Kim, L., & Shim, I. (2012). Stress and sleep disorder. Experimental neurobiology, 21(4), 141. https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2012.21.4.141
- Herr, R. M., Barrech, A., Riedel, N., Gündel, H., Angerer, P., & Li, J. (2018). Long-term effectiveness of stress management at work: effects of the changes in perceived stress reactivity on mental health and sleep problems seven years later. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(2), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020255
- Kalmbach, D. A., Anderson, J. R., & Drake, C. L. (2018). The impact of stress on sleep: pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. Journal of sleep research, 27(6), e12710. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12710
- Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2019). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13996
- Sanford, L. D., Suchecki, D., & Meerlo, P. (2015). Stress, arousal, and sleep. Sleep, neuronal plasticity and brain function, 379-410. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2014_314
- Shallcross, A. J., Visvanathan, P. D., Sperber, S. H., & Duberstein, Z. T. (2019). Waking up to the problem of sleep: can mindfulness help? A review of theory and evidence for the effects of mindfulness for sleep. Current opinion in psychology, 28, 37-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.10.005
- Willert, M. V., Thulstrup, A. M., Hertz, J., & Bonde, J. P. (2010). Sleep and cognitive failures improved by a three-month stress management intervention. International journal of stress management, 17(3), 193. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019612