Your body and brain need a certain amount of downtime in order to stay healthy. Sleeping well helps you stay physically and mentally well.
When you’re well-rested, the challenges of everyday life are easier to handle and put you through less stress. But, when you’re having a hard time sleeping due to insomnia, stress can build up, creating a negative cycle that prevents you from getting the rest you need.
At Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, our team of mental health experts, led by Dr. Ronald P. Winfield, advises new and existing patients struggling with sleeplessness and insomnia from our location in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Here are some of the effective, easy-to-use stress management techniques that you can employ to break the cycle of insomnia and sleeplessness. Are you ready to improve the quality and duration of your rest?
You may have one or two sleepless nights in isolation, but when the problem becomes chronic, it’s time to get a grip on potentially unhealthy stress levels. First, let’s take a closer look at the relationship between stress and sleeplessness, to better understand why stress management makes sense as a way to treat insomnia.
When you struggle with sleep with an extended amount of time, stress is often the underlying cause. It may be necessary to apply stress management techniques in order to improve your symptoms and mental health. Sometimes insomnia may be connected to an underlying mental health condition, such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Keeping a sleep diary can help you understand more about how your stress levels, eating and drinking habits, and health conditions contribute to sleep disturbances.
At Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, we take a holistic and integrative approach to addressing insomnia. That means looking at sources of stress in your life, and figuring out more effective ways to handle the effects of stress on your ability to rest. Here are some of the stress management techniques that we recommend for insomnia patients:
You can take control of your physiological reaction to stress by simply modifying your breathing. Paying attention to your breathing and taking slow, deep breaths, sends signals to your brain that stress responses aren’t needed.
Individuals with insomnia often benefit from setting aside a short time in the evening to practice controlled breathing before heading to bed.
You may be able to lower your stress levels through better work-life balance or healthier dietary habits. However, stress is an inevitable part of life. So, when stress strikes, it’s important to have strategies on hand to process and release stress.
Take a walk in nature, meditate, adjust your thinking with techniques like cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM), or engage with hobbies that rest and restore you. These strategies may be necessary to work through stress before trying to sleep.
Stress can also negatively affect your sleep hygiene. Improving your sleep hygiene may help you achieve better rest, in turn allowing you to cope better with stress.
Sleep and wake at regular times, and get out of bed if you find yourself becoming stressed out and failing to fall asleep. Keep the area around your bed quiet, at a comfortable temperature, dimly lit, and free from electronics in the evenings.
At Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, we offer transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that may help recalibrate your brain’s response to stress. This innovative, noninvasive, nonpharmacological treatment using the CloudTMS™ system sends gentle pulses of energy through your brain, adjusting neuronal activity for improved mood and wellness.
For personalized support with stress management and sleeplessness, contact Dr. Winfield and the team at Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates today. Call to schedule your appointment, or use our online scheduling tool to book now.
