Is Stress Affecting Your Sleep?
We all have trouble sleeping at one time or another, but what happens when we don’t get enough sleep? Sleep is one of the most essential processes of our body. We need sleep to function and to be healthy.
Often, however, we don’t get enough sleep. Stress is one of the main causes of sleep deprivation. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night is sleep at night is considered deprivation. Here are some things that you can relate to that may cause problems with sleep.
Lifestyle
We must work in order to achieve many of our goals such as getting a house or taking care of family. But that means we must get up early in order to make it to work on time.
Depending on your job, you may not even leave work until later in the evening.
Man or woman, your job doesn’t end when you get home. There’s cooking, cleaning up, kids to take care of, grocery shopping, you get the picture.
Often, this causes us to go to bed later than we want to. The average person needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night in order to function at peak level the next day.
Most working professionals average about 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night.
Parenting
When we think about sleep deprivation and parenting, we think of babies. Babies wake every 1 to 2 hours to eat. This means getting up several times a night to feed the baby which interrupts sleep. It doesn’t just affect women. Men will wake up as well when the baby cries.
Sleep interruption doesn’t stop after the baby starts sleeping through the night. As they get older, illness, bad dreams and sometimes fears (like being afraid of the dark) can interfere with their sleep and yours. A study by the University of Warwick found that parents can be sleep-deprived for up to 6 years after a baby is born.
If you’re a stay at home mom, that doesn’t mean you are getting any more sleep either. Most stay at home moms don’t nap when their baby does because they must catch up on household chores.
Why Stress Affects Sleep
Humans have what is known as the flight or fight response when they are under stress. In a stressful situation, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol to give you the energy to get out of the situation. The body reacts the same regardless of the stressor.
If you remain in a heightened state of stress, due to constant stress, then your body does not calm down when it’s time to go to sleep. Your heart rate is up, and your thoughts are racing. If you experience stress every day, then you most likely get less than 7 hours of sleep a night.
Chronic stress can be caused by many factors including:
- Relationships
- Job stress
- Busy lifestyle
- Being a new parent
- Financial problems
- Health problems
Chronic stress and sleep deprivation have both been linked to several health conditions including:
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- Weight gain
- Alzheimer’s
- Depression and anxiety
Not getting enough sleep affects you in multiple ways:
Immune system – When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system suffers, and it can’t fight off infection
Weight gain – When you don’t get enough sleep the body release more of the hormone ghrelin which is your body’s cue that it’s hungry. Consequently, you eat more.
Mental wellbeing – When you don’t get enough sleep, you are often irritable or moody. If you sleep less than 6 hours a night you are at a higher risk for anxiety and depression.
Diabetes – Getting 5 hours or less sleep a night puts you at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. If you don’t get enough sleep, it changes the way your body processes glucose which is used by the body for energy.
Seifu Therapy for Sleep Deprivation and Stress
If you are having trouble getting enough sleep because of stress, the best thing you can do is self-care. Caring for yourself can help your mind and body heal. If you are health conscious, you probably don’t want to take medication to help induce sleep. There is a natural option that can help relieve stress, Seifu therapy. Seifu therapy is a non-invasive, gentle healing therapy that works with your meridian points. It involves pulling up the skin to make a space in the epidermis. This is done with gentle rhythmic movements and promotes the flow of oxygen and blood circulation.
A study in The Journal of the Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine found that Seifu therapy changed brain waves after just a few treatments. The study indicated that after Seifu therapy, tension was reduced, and relaxation was enhanced. Participants reported feeling calm after therapy. Researchers suggested that this was because after Seifu serotonin is released. In addition to the participants, the study suggested that the therapist gets a serotonin boost as well showing that the practitioner is also getting benefits from Seifu by providing relief to others. Another study in The Journal of the Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine found that Seifu lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and helps with edema.
Seifu helps the body heal and boosts the immune system which gets depleted when you are under stress and don’t sleep well. Seifu can be performed on the whole body or parts of the body and the technique varies with the part of the body the practitioner is working on. Seifu is effective for relieving stress, insomnia, headaches and body aches.
If you are experiencing constant stress, Seifu is a natural effective way to help you relieve stress and sleep better at night even when you can’t control the stressor (such as parenting a new baby). Seifu will allow your body to heal naturally from stress and give you a feeling of calm so your body can relax.
Stress affects everyone, some people experience it only occasionally, but most of us have daily stress. Stress affects our health and wellbeing. Seifu can help relieve the symptoms of stress, help your immune system work more effectively and give you a healthier, better quality of life. What are you waiting for? Give yourself the gift of self-care, book an appointment today!
