Sleep Reflections: A Year-End Guide to Reducing Stress and Improving Rest

As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on our lives and the challenges we face, particularly stress and its impact on our well-being. Stress is an inevitable part of life, affecting us in myriad ways—from our health to our sleep quality.

In today’s blog, we’ll explore the intricate relationship between stress and sleep, identify key stressors, and offer practical techniques to alleviate tension and foster a restful environment. With a bit of introspection and a few simple changes, you can turn your new year into one of peace, calm, and rejuvenating sleep.

Understanding Stress and Its Effects

Did you know that stress is a natural reaction that everyone experiences? It’s true! Our bodies are meant to feel stress and react accordingly. Stress can manifest physically, psychologically, behaviorally, or in a combination as your body adjusts to the stressor. Common stressors include:

• Death of a Loved One
• Financial Issues
• Going on Vacation
• Illness
• Moving
• Relationships
• Retiring
• Work

Everyone reacts differently to stress. Acute stressors are short-term and often elicit positive responses that keep you alert, motivated, or aware of danger. Chronic stress is long-term, lasting for weeks or months. When your mind and body don’t get time to rest from stressful situations or environments, you can experience long-term health issues that affect your:

• Immune System: Arthritis, fibromyalgia, or psoriasis.
• Digestive System: Weight gain or loss, ulcers, or irritable bowel syndrome.
• Cardiovascular System: High blood pressure, increased heart rate, or heart palpitations.
• Reproductive System: Infections, polycystic ovarian syndrome, or infertility.

It’s no surprise that stress can negatively affect sleep. The Better Sleep Council recently surveyed U.S. adults about stress in their daily lives and its impact on sleep. Here are a few of the eye-opening results:

• 26% of women and 16% of men report trouble sleeping at least once a week.
• 19% of individuals ages 45-64 admit to losing sleep due to stress a few nights per week.
• 19% of children whose parents report that they are poor sleepers have recently experienced stress.

Thankfully, understanding the connection between stress and sleep—and identifying healthy ways to handle stress—can lead to more restful Zzzs.

Reflecting on Your Stress Levels

Before we discuss ways to handle stress, take a moment to reflect on your stress levels over the past year. Ask yourself self-reflective questions, such as:

• How have my sleep habits changed recently? (Times, quality)
• What’s my current sleep routine, and how does it make me feel?
• What situations caused the most stress?
• How did stress manifest in your life (sleep issues, irritability, etc.)?
• Am I maintaining a healthy balance between work, self-care, and relationships?
• What are my most helpful coping mechanisms, and which ones aren’t working?
• What can I simplify or stop doing to reduce unnecessary stress? 
• What would a stress-free day look like for me?

Practical Techniques for Reducing Stress

Perhaps the most important way to reduce stress is to realize that you can’t control everything. Look for ways to let go of worries that result from situations you can’t change. Consider the following daily strategies for stress reduction:

• Do Relaxing Activities: Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises, and muscle relaxation can all reduce stress. Look for programs online, in apps, or at your local gym or community center.
• Say “No”: Don’t take on additional responsibilities when you’re already busy or stressed out.
• Stay Connected: Make connections with people and places that make you feel calm and happy. Everyone can use a little emotional support from time to time, especially when facing stressful situations.
• Stay Positive: Practice gratitude by acknowledging good things that happen to you.
• Take Care of Your Body: Eat a sleep-friendly diet, be physically active, and get enough sleep to help you handle stress more effectively.

Creating a Tranquil Sleep Environment

The physical spaces in your home have a significant impact on your sleep and mental health. In fact, research shows that messy spaces and an overabundance of decor can lead to stress and anxiety. Clutter, bedding, color, lighting, and sound can all influence how stressed or calm you feel—and how you sleep. 

Decluttering Hacks

Tackling clutter is a great way to immediately improve your sleep environment and increase your chances of a rejuvenating night’s rest. Try these hacks to turn your messy bedroom into a clutter-free, serene sleeping environment:

• Look Up: Have you been eyeing blank wall space without a clue about how to use it? Consider turning it into storage! Peg boards, shelving, wall hooks, and over-the-door organizers are just a few wall options to get your coats off the back of the chair and into their rightful places.
• Look Under: Your bed doesn’t have to serve just as a place to sleep (or have sex). A captain’s bed, storage bed, and under-bed containers can help you take organizing to a whole new level.
• Hide It: Let your chair, ottoman, and more do double-duty with the plethora of convertible furniture options on the market. Mirror storage, floating wall drawers, ottomans, and benches offer endless storage options disguised as bedroom accessories.

Design a Sleep-Inducing Atmosphere

Once you’ve decluttered, it’s time to turn your attention to other elements in your bedroom that impact healthy sleep. 

• Bedding: Your mattress should be comfortable and welcoming to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. Consider replacing your mattress if it’s more than seven years old. Likewise, comfortable bedding made from the right materials plays a key role in healthy sleep. Natural materials such as bamboo, cotton, and linen can be tranquil and provide a connection to nature.
• Color: Certain colors can trigger physiological and psychological reactions. Choose in hues of blue, green, light gray, white, beige, cream, or light pink for an instant update. Avoid stimulating colors like red, black, purple, dark brown, bright yellow, or bright orange—all of which can make it harder to relax at the end of the day.
• Lighting: Block unwanted light at night with room-darkening curtains or a sleep mask. First thing in the morning, open the curtains to let the natural light fill the space. For artificial light, use low-wattage bulbs between 45 and 50 watts for bedside ambient lighting, and higher-wattage bulbs for overhead lighting you need during the day.
• Sounds: Mask noise in your bedroom with a white noise from a machine or app, fan, air purifier, air conditioner, or soothing fountain. A recent study published in Scientific Reports found that white noise improved working memory, accuracy, and performance—all areas influenced by stress levels. Keep white noise at a low level to avoid increasing stress.

Grab more tips from our blog: 7 Simple Ways to Transform Your Bedroom Into a Restful Sleep Environment

Implementing Healthy Routines

You can prioritize stress management and rest by establishing healthy routines. 

In the Morning

Kick your day off right with a morning routine that exerts positivity and resilience—and starts at the same time every day (even weekends). For example, spend 10 to 15 minutes on your porch or patio sipping your favorite breakfast tea and thinking about how to make the day ahead productive and inspiring.

During the Day

Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, avoiding intense workouts within 2 to 3 hours of your bedtime. Bonus points if you exercise outdoors to get the all-important vitamin D. Be mindful of the times that you eat. Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends eating a nutritious breakfast, a high-protein lunch, and a light, early dinner between 5 and 7 p.m. Avoid late-night snacking.

In the Evening

Before bed, set aside 30 minutes to an hour to implement a bedtime routine that includes stress-free activities such as reading, journaling, listening to music, taking a bath, or going for an evening stroll.

Ask for Help to Reduce Stress

When stress impacts your daily life, it’s essential to reach out to a healthcare provider who can offer advice, prescribe medications, or refer you to a mental health professional. Seek medical attention if you:

• Can’t get your stress symptoms to go away with stress-reducing techniques like mindfulness or meditation.
• Experience physical symptoms such as aches and pains, a racing heart, or exhaustion, or frequent headaches.
• Feel overwhelmed.
• Turn to alcohol or illegal substances to cope.

If you’re in immediate distress or consider hurting yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This 24/7/365 confidential mental health support service is available to anyone in the U.S. who needs to speak with a skilled, judgment-free counselor.

Sleep Better in the Year Ahead

As we approach a new year, taking the time to reflect on our stress and its impact on our sleep can be transformative. By recognizing the stresses in our lives and implementing practical techniques to alleviate them, we can create a foundation for improved well-being and restful nights.

Remember that prioritizing self-care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Embrace the chance to simplify your life, seek support, and cultivate a serene environment. With these efforts, you can look forward to a year filled with peace, rejuvenation, and the restful sleep you deserve. Here’s to a brighter, calmer journey ahead!

Check out these additional Better Sleep Council resources to learn more about how stress affects sleep:

Blog: Sleeping Through Stress: How to Improve Sleep When Life Feels Overwhelming

Blog: Sleep Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Stress-Related Sleep Problems

Podcast: How Stress Affects Your Sleep with Lissa Coffey & Mary Helen Rogers