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Trouble sleeping? Stress may be the underlying problemBy Brenda Reed, Psy.D., CBSM, licensed psychologist, certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine [ Sleep Diary | Sleep packet ]
Insomnia is a common complaint among Americans. Approximately 30-40 percent of adults have some symptoms of insomnia each year, with 10-15 percent of adults indicating that they have chronic insomnia. Women and people over the age of 65 are more likely to report insomnia than men and people younger than 65 also, people who are divorced, widowed, and separated report more insomnia. Insomnia includes difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or non-restorative sleep. At least half of individuals with insomnia blame stress or worry for the cause. Stress can be positive (vacation, buying a new house, etc) or negative (loss of job or relationship, medical problem or hospitalization), and can lead to sleep problems for many people. Some people simply try to minimize stress by getting rid of stressful situations. However, we aren't able to completely avoid all types of stress. Therefore, we need to learn how best to manage our stress; this means managing how stress impacts our mind and body. Stress causes hyperarounsal of the mind and body, and this upsets the balance between sleep and wakefulness. People with excessive amounts of stress may find it difficult to wind down at bedtime and relax the body and mind. Thus, these people can benefit from incorporating a period of relaxation prior to bedtime. For many people, reading or listening to music can be very relaxing. This type of relaxation allows activity to decrease, thus decreasing hyperarousal. Other people may find more specific relaxation exercises to be beneficial, such as guided imagery or visualization, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation. Bruxism is tooth grinding in one's sleep. Approximately 8 percent of adults grind their teeth at night. The causes of bruxism aren't completely known, but it is linked with anxiety, stress, alcohol use, stimulants such as cigarette smoking and caffeine, and symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. In some cases, nighttime tooth grinding is linked to daytime stress. As is the case with people who have insomnia, individuals with bruxism can also benefit from relaxation prior to bedtime in order to reduce the stress level. If the tooth grinding is excessive and stress management does not resolve bruxism, an oral appliance from a dentist can help to protect one's teeth. It is advantageous to seek professional help when sleep problems begin to impair your mood, or you have difficulty functioning. Most often, alleviating stress can alleviate insomnia as well as bruxism, if addressed early enough. However, some people develop maladaptive coping strategies to deal with their insomnia once it becomes unbearable, and this can lead to chronic insomnia, even after the issues with stress have been resolved. In these cases, it is important to address those maladaptive coping tactics (such as staying in bed for long periods of time when not sleeping, taking naps, etc.) to resolve one's problems with sleep. Additional techniques and strategies can be developed by working with a psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders. Data is from National Sleep Foundation
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Stress
can impact on our sleep in many ways, with the most common being insomnia
and bruxism. 