PODCAST: The Kind of Sleep That Reduces Stress
A sleepless night can trigger up to a thirty percent rise in anxiety levels. That’s according to new research from the University of California Berkeley. But the researchers also identified the type of sleep that calms you and resets your brain.
During periods of deep sleep or non-rapid eye movement, slow-wave sleep, the heart rate and blood pressure drop. They consider deep sleep to be a natural anxiety inhibitor, which may be a drug-free remedy for 40 million American adults with anxiety disorders.
If that’s you, try these sleep tips: Go to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends. Keep your room cool. Dim lights an hour before bedtime and turn off all electronic devices. If you still can’t sleep, get up and do something quiet and relaxing. Avoid going to bed tipsy. Alcohol is a sedative, and sedation is not sleep.