Sleep and Stress ManagementEssay Preview: Sleep and Stress ManagementReport this essaySleep and Stress ManagementStress can come in many different forms and can be brought on by many different forces. Work, family, school, and relationships are among a few stressors people face everyday. The body can react to these stressors with head or stomach aches, loss of appetite, and little or no sleep. Although people may not realize it, managing good sleeping habits is a key factor in controlling underlying stress problems. To a certain degree, some level of stress is good to have in your everyday life. It keeps you alert and forces you to think on your feet, providing a stimulant to maybe look at the situation from a different perspective. Lack of sleep, overindulgence, and stress undermine the bodys immune system, leaving it vulnerable to illness. Sleep is an important aspect of stress management and without it, we as functioning adults will have trouble managing not only our work lives, but personal lives as well.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, overscheduled daily calendars and job stress/demands are the top two sources of stress for people ages 22-55 (Bradley). Aside from a persons natural reaction to stress of a pounding headache or upset stomach, stress will often come in the form of troubled sleep. Often time, we will have trouble sleeping because we are up all night worrying about our problems and the stressors that cause them. For example, most of us have sat up in bed late at night thinking about that big meeting tomorrow at work. ‘Am I prepared for it? ‘What if the boss calls on me? ‘What if my alarm clock doesnt go off? The problem is not in the actual worrying, but the effects that a poor sleep has on ones body in the following days. Research shows that sleep deprivation hinders brain function, leaving you at a higher risk for accidents in the car and at home (Sykes).
Synchronic sleep disorders are associated with poor sleep, with a strong sleep cycle, and the risk for long term memory loss occurs as a result of poor memory. Sleep is a central part of the circadian rhythm, which is an active circadian clock that signals the body to be asleep. There is also an underlying and chronic sleep disturbance called drowsiness.
This condition requires that sleep be interrupted whenever the REM sleep is at its peak (as the body does by being unable to return to sleep during the “night rush”). The REM state also has an important role in controlling sleep by giving the body plenty of time to process. However, the clock is in the same state as the body’s natural “sleep cycle,” a cycle in which it can return to sleep at its maximum time. The REM state in itself is a major stressor. While some people experience strong feelings of relief at night, the rest of the body is prone to feeling less well, and in part the body will be more sleepy when it can not sleep.
Most people with these conditions also experience a tendency toward a poor sleep cycle that can lead to severe headaches and other health problems. It may be because of the need to sleep to maintain muscle strength, or it may be fatigue, a result of excessive sweating during the night with too much physical activity.
Many people experience some form of night sweats, sometimes in response to excessive food and drinking during the day—some sleep less than others.