Stressed and losing sleep? The Neuroscience might surprise you.

Sleep is not a luxury. It is a necessary human function.

Why? Well quite simply it allows our brains to recharge and our bodies to rest.

It helps increase focus and creativity. When we are sleep-deprived, one of the first skills we lose is that invaluable ability to think outside the box.

A good night’s sleep also helps memory consolidation. Remember back to the days of the school exams when parents and teachers preached about the value of getting a good night’s sleep? Well, the good news is that they were right. A good night’s sleep helps filter out the unnecessary noise in the brain and recall the important information in the deepest parts of the brain. But above all this, a good night's sleep is a vital ingredient in keeping up our immunity levels. When we are sleep-deprived, we tend to pick up colds and illnesses as our ability to fight them off is much reduced.

What is the recommended number of hours of sleep at night?

Ideally, we should be aiming for between 7 and 9 hours sleep, but most of the experts will say 8 hours per night is the ideal for optimum performance.

Where do stress and the neuroscience around it, come in when it comes to sleep?

Cortisol also commonly known as our stress neurochemical or hormone has a direct impact on our sleep. Firstly, it is important to note that cortisol is necessary for the body to ensure daily alertness. It is produced naturally in the body in the adrenal glands as well as in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain. Cortisol levels rise and fall naturally over the course of the day and night playing a critical role in sleep-wake cycles.

From 6 am onwards, there is a sharp rise in the level of Cortisol in the body stimulating wakefulness. Levels peak at about 9 am. After this, the cortisol level gradually begins to fall, reaching its lowest levels around midnight helping to bring about sleep. Levels begin to rise gradually again over the course of the second half of a night’s sleep.

So where does the stress come in?

Each time we have a stress reaction or are triggered into the fight or flight state, the body releases cortisol. This may happen many times over the course of the day. With the pressure of modern life, many people are continually ping-ponging from one stressor to another during the day, allowing the build-up of Cortisol. When we do not finish out the stress cycles and allow the body to return to a state of rest and digest, cortisol levels continue to build.

Although the body’s natural levels of Cortisol fall during the night, going to bed with a cortisol build-up, will cause sleep difficulties. You may be able to fall asleep but as soon as you move into the light sleep (REM stage where sleep is not as deep) the cortisol in the body may be enough to stimulate the body to wake up and what happens is the ruminations over the day’s events or the following day’s worries begin and it can be impossible to get back to sleep. Coupled with this, the body begins to gradually produce Cortisol to get us ready to wake and the end result very often is, that we lie awake for hours much earlier than we had planned.

What can I do to improve my night’s sleep?

Having a good neurochemical balance in the body at bedtime is essential for restful sleep. Strange as it may seem then, preparing for a good night’s sleep begins in the morning. Melatonin is our sleep-inducing neurochemical. Its production is stimulated in darkness, so during waking hours, we want to limit the amount of melatonin in the body. It is important therefore to get some exposure to natural light as early as possible to stop the release of Melatonin and wake up fully to get the body clock regulated. This can be challenging on dark mornings but stepping out into natural light as soon as you get up if only for a couple of minutes can be really helpful.

What about exercise, can it really help with my sleep?

Getting some exercise into your daily routine greatly helps balance the neurochemistry in the body as it suppresses the release of Cortisol. It also stimulates the release of Serotonin and Dopamine our feel-good neurochemicals. Outdoor aerobic exercise sustained for at least 20 minutes particularly in nature e.g. walking, running, cycling or swimming will help balance the neurochemistry in the body and therefore have a positive impact on your night’s sleep.

What else can help me to improve my night’s sleep?
What I refer to as a ‘brain dump’ before bed can be really helpful. Take a sheet of paper or journal and list out anything ruminating in your head that may possibly keep you awake. Moving these items from your head to a sheet of paper really helps clear the mind which will reduce stress and help the quality of your night’s sleep.

Are there any other quick and easy fixes to help me to sleep better?
Definitely. Avoiding caffeine after lunch is a good one. Caffeine has a half-life of up to 8 hours so its impact on the system is felt long after it has been consumed. Keeping the body well hydrated over the course of the day also really helps as it avoids any dehydration-induced irritability or anxiety at bedtime.

What about reading?
Getting out of your own story before bed is another great tip. Reading a good novel or doing a guided meditation in the evening or listening to some calm relaxing music will help clear the mind of whatever ruminating you may have been doing before bed again aiding in restful sleep.

Dare I say it, avoiding scrolling social media at least an hour before bed will also help. It is not just the blue light impact but the comparisons, judgments, etc that it leads to are certainly not conducive to a good night's sleep.

How can coaching help me to sleep better?

Coaching can really help get to the root cause of your rising stress levels. Stress is built on your perception of your reality. We move into the fight or flight state and ultimately have a full-stress reaction when we perceive the challenge or situation in front of us as greater than our ability to cope.

Exploring the root cause of your stress and building up your confidence and resilience levels so that you can more easily overcome challenge you are facing daily without all the ruminating and anxiety can greatly help you get back to a restful night’s sleep.

For more on my coaching programmes including my Coaching for Stress and Overwhelm programme click here