Stress is undoubtedly bad for sleep. It keeps you awake for too long and can lead to fragmented sleep. But what makes stress particularly terrible for sleep is that it creates a vicious cycle that’s difficult to get out of. 

Stress makes it harder to sleep, which only makes you more stressed, which causes even more sleep deprivation, which…and the cycle goes. In the end, you experience both chronic sleep deprivation and chronic stress, both conditions with serious health risks. 

How Stress Affects Sleep 

People with too much stress are also likely to suffer from insomnia, sleep interruptions and overall sleep deficiency. 

That’s because excessive stress interferes with your ability to go to sleep and stay asleep. Here are some of the ways it does this. 

• Stress increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, a network of nerves that activates our flight or fight response. This is the exact opposite of the relaxed state that is important for sleep, thus it makes it harder to sleep.
• Stress can cause sleep fragmentation. This is where you experience frequent short disruptions to sleep. Not only does fragmented sleep lead to sleep deficiency, it also reduces the quality of sleep since it interferes with sleep stages. 
• Stress can cause or worsen insomnia. When your head is full of running thoughts, it can be hard to relax and go to sleep. 
• When you are stressed, you are more likely to engage in behaviors that are not good for sleep such as taking too much alcohol, smoking, not exercising, and too much screen time. 
• Stress can worsen sleep disorders like snoring, sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, thus further affecting sleep quality. 

How Lack of Sleep Affects Stress  

Sleep and stress have a 2-way relationship. Each affects the other. 

Stress reduces the quality and quantity of your sleep. When you don't get enough sleep, on the other hand, you have reduced capability to handle stress. If anything, stress levels tend to rise even further. 

With the increased stress, you struggle to sleep even more, which further increases stress. You can see the vicious cycle we are talking about. 

Chronic sleep deprivation can deteriorate your mental health to the point of causing or worsening anxiety and depression. 

5 Tips to Get Out of the Vicious Cycle

It can be difficult to get out of the sleep-stress cycle because you need to tackle both issues simultaneously. But it’s not impossible. Here are five tips that can help you break the cycle of stress and bad sleep. 

1. Stay Active 

One of the best things people who are both stressed and sleep deprived can do is to exercise. I know it is hard to convince yourself to go jogging, cycling or to the gym, but it really does help with both stress and sleep. 

Exercise, even if it is a short brisk walk, increases the production of feel-good hormones called endorphins. It also helps you focus less on your problems, improve your problem-solving skills and improve your overall emotional state. With less stress, you will be able to sleep better. 

Exercise also helps you sleep better, partly by increasing your body’s need for sleep. You’ll find it a lot easier to drift off in the evening and you’ll sleep more deeply. With better sleep, you’ll find yourself less stressed. 

Even if you don't feel like working out, go out on a short walk or climb the stairs several times; anything to get your heart pumping. Over time, build up to longer workouts. 

2. Stay Social 

Spending time with people we love is one of the best emotional hacks. It reduces stress, and helps with anxiety and depression. In turn, you sleep a lot better. 

Even if you can’t meet up with them in person, a phone call or video chat can do wonders for your moods. 

But don't limit it to friends and family. Even spending time with strangers can boost your moods. So look for group activities you can do nearby like hiking, games, bird watching, painting and so on.

3. Have a Consistent Bedtime Routine 

It’s tempting to stay up late browsing or watching, but sleeping late and having inconsistent bedtimes makes your sleep worse. 

A great way to improve your sleep is having a bedtime routine that you stick to. Include relaxing activities an hour or two before bed like reading, meditation, a phone call with a friend or a warm bath. Then go to bed around the same time everyday. 

A consistent bedtime lets your circadian clock fall into a rhythm and helps overcome insomnia.  

4. Spend Time Outdoors 

Spending time in nature is a proven way to reduce stress and improve your overall mental health. Specifically, green spaces are the best.

Researchers have also found that spending time outdoors improves sleep quality, probably by reducing stress and anxiety. One study found that people who spent up to 12 hours a week outdoors have greater odds of normal healthy sleep.

You can multiply the benefits of going outdoors for your sleep and stress by combining it with exercise like hiking or running. You can also do it with friends so that you can also get some social time out of it. 

5. Reduce or Eliminate Stressors 

Finally, identify anything that’s likely to worsen your stress and reduce or eliminate it. Common stressors include social media, caffeine, alcohol, procrastination and loneliness among others. 

Reducing or eliminating anything that worsens your stress levels will help you sleep better and give you increased capacity to deal with your main source of stress whether it’s work, a relationship or a business. 

It’s often surprising how stress triggers like alcohol, caffeine and lack of sleep can make problems seem a lot worse than they are and make it harder to solve them.