Reclaim Your Rest: Effective Stress Management Tips

Can't sleep? You're not alone. According to the Sleep Foundation, 54% of adults say stress and anxiety are their biggest sleep culprits. It's a vicious cycle – poor sleep leads to more stress, and it's only getting worse.

We're fans of meditation and deep breathing. Relaxation techniques like daytime exercise and going to bed at a regular time are key components in good sleep hygiene. We found these tips and more helpful information on the Sleep Foundation’s website.

Reduce Stress During Your Nighttime Routine

While the relaxation techniques can be incorporated into your nighttime routine, you can also take some other practices into consideration.

• Make a good sleep environment: Consider evaluating your sleep environment for possible stressors. A good sleep environment is dark with little noise.

• Limit alcohol and caffeine: Both can affect one’s ability to have undisturbed sleep. Excessive alcohol can also affect how the body handles stress.

• Take a warm shower or bath: Not only can this help you relax and de-stress, but it will also lower your body temperature which can help you fall asleep faster.

• Avoid blue light exposure before bedtime: The light from electronics including phones, computers, and TVs can interfere with your circadian rhythm . Experts recommend you set these aside in the hours before you want to go to sleep. Plus, this can help limit doomscrolling habits, which are known to contribute to anxiety.

• Practice good sleep hygiene: Sleep hygiene refers to your nighttime behaviors leading up to sleep. Good sleep hygiene involves keeping a consistent sleep schedule, a bedtime routine, and forming healthy habits that promote sleep.

• Journal: Writing down your thoughts and worries can help you to get them out in the open so you can address them. Keep a journal by your bed so you can write down any anxiety that may come up in the moments before bed.