When it comes to stress, the cold hard fact is that nobody is immune to it. All it takes to
raise your stress levels is the loss of a job, an illness or the death of a loved one.
However, these events aren't necessarily within your control. Since that's the case, proactively attending to the things that can cause you increased stress and are within your control is of major importance.
Reportedly, 40 percent of Americans are sleep deprived. This is a serious matter because when you don't get enough sleep, not only is your body deprived of much needed time to be re-energized, it's also deprived of an environment necessary to foster natural healing.
Increased stress from sleep deprivation can give birth to a number of physical, mental and emotional symptoms upon awakening. These symptoms include but certainly are not confined to:
* An increase in the rate of illness
* Nausea
* Dizziness
* Forgetfulness
* Feeling sluggish
* Poor concentration or fuzzy thinking
* Poor judgment
Having experienced each of the above mentioned symptoms personally, I've discovered that neglecting to get enough snooze time is not only dangerous to your health but also to the health of others. One delayed reaction because of increased stress from sleep deprivation can be detrimental.
The National Sleep Foundation estimates that sleep deprived drivers are responsible for more than 100,000 automobile accidents each year. Getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night is recommended and getting that recommended amount of sleep time is not negotiable. However, it doesn't stop there.
Your quality of sleep is just as important as the length of pillow time (the sleeping kind) you put in. If you're used to sleeping from 9pm to 6am, when that schedule is changed and you get to bed much later, you will still wake up feeling not quite rested. The reason is that your body was accustomed to start winding down at a certain time and you have now pushed it into overdrive. A serious consequence of an erratic sleep schedule is insomnia.
Forcing your body to stay awake not only increases stress from sleep deprivation, it also reduces your ability to handle existing and future challenges that lead to stress. By simply getting the appropriate amount of sleep, your stress levels will be significantly reduced. Your body and mind will be in better shape to respond to stress, thereby helping lower your overall stress levels.
Michelle Howard Smith
Michelle Howard Smith is a published author and a true-to-life stress and pain management professional raising a special needs little boy
Discover a unique line of stress and alternative pain relief products when you visit her shop at
www.antistressandpain.com.
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