What’s been keeping you awake at night?
Getting a good night’s rest is crucial for both your mental and physical well-being. Yet, if you’re feeling stressed out, it can be hard to fall into a deep sleep.
Since stress levels and sleep patterns go hand-in-hand, it’s important to focus on living a stress-free lifestyle and being more rested. The good news is, you can learn to relax and quiet your mind with a few simple strategies that we’ll cover in this article. So, to find out ways to reduce stress and catch better ZZZs, read on.
Powerful Benefits of Getting a Good Night’s Rest
It may come as no surprise to you that getting a good night’s rest comes with numerous health and psychological benefits. With an improvement in your sleeping patterns, you will notice:
- A boost in mood – Making sleep a priority each night can help you better process your emotions, as well as fight mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
- Better critical thinking skills – Have you ever struggled to recall specific details of an event or something you’ve learned after a sleepless night? This is a frustrating yet common side effect of poor sleep patterns. The good news is, a good night’s rest improves both your memory and learning ability throughout the day.
- It’s easier to manage your weight – When you’re well-rested, the hormones in your brain that control appetite are balanced, making you less likely to reach for that mid-day bag of chips or candy bar.
- A stronger immune system – Your immune system has an easier time destroying the viruses and bacteria that invade your body, resulting in you getting sick less often.
- Improved heart health – While you sleep, your blood pressure levels are reduced, giving your heart a break. Consistently getting a good night’s sleep greatly reduces the risk of stroke or heart attack over time.
- Steadier blood sugar – During a night of deep sleep, your blood sugar levels reset. When you’re well-rested, you’re also less likely to get type 2 diabetes over time.
How to Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep
Your journey to a better night’s rest begins both in the mind and your daily practices. Here are some ways you can reduce your stress and improve your sleep patterns:
Create an Inviting Sleep Environment
When was the last time you assessed your sleep environment? For the ultimate sleep experience, consider decluttering your room, finding the perfect pillow, investing in a quality mattress, and purchasing a new pair of luxurious sheets.
For an even more relaxing space, why not get an essential oil diffuser and a soothing sound system that mimics the sounds of nature? To create your tranquil atmosphere, find what works best for you and stick with it.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed
Do you go to sleep with your trusty smartphone right under your pillow so you can be available at all times? Then you may want to consider turning off your electronics before bed.
By limiting exposure to blue light from your phone, computer, or television, you’ll feel more tired at bedtime and more energized during the day. Even putting your electronics out of sight just 30 minutes before you sleep, allows your body to naturally produce more melatonin and get more REM sleep.
Get Moving Each Day
Of course, we’ve heard it all before — exercise keeps stress hormones at bay. However, it’s worth repeating since the effect that exercise has on sleep is so powerful. By setting time aside to exercise each day, your body releases endorphins that improve your mood and help you wind down for bed in a better state of mind.
Choose your favorite way to get moving, whether you like to hit the gym, head to an early morning hot yoga class, or go for a brisk evening walk with the dog. As long as your heart rate is up for about 30 minutes each day, you’ll notice an improvement in both sleep and stress levels.
Eat a Nutritious Diet
What does your diet currently look like? What you put in your body each day hugely impacts your stress levels. Limiting refined foods and processed sugars promotes better energy levels during the day and deeper sleep at night, therefore reducing stress. Be sure to set aside time to prepare nutritious meals for work each day and cook rather than eat out whenever possible.
Practice Thought Management
For many of us, it’s easy to overlook how our own thoughts and feelings play a part in how stressed we are. To better manage your thoughts, you first have to learn to recognize those stressful thoughts and overly negative thinking patterns. Once you’re aware of your thoughts, you can start to challenge them and replace them with more positive ways of thinking.
Is what you’re telling yourself even true or is it unnecessarily contributing to your stress levels and keeping you up at night? Practicing thought management is all about reframing a negative or stressful thought and spinning it so you can see a more positive side. It takes practice but it’s well worth it!
Nightly Hot Tub Hydrotherapy
Did you know that a nightly soak in a hot tub or swim spa brings you so much more than just recreational benefits? This overlooked form of hydrotherapy can help you reduce aches and pains, improve anxiety and stress levels, boost your immune system, as well as improve your quality of sleep.
To improve your overall well-being, all you need is 20 to 30 minutes in a hot tub or swim spa to relax before bed and fall asleep peacefully and pain-free.
Don’t Forget the Sauna
Similar to the benefits of hydrotherapy, having regular sweat sessions in a dry sauna works wonders for your health as well. Regular sauna use promotes detoxification, a stronger immune system, better cardiovascular health, stress management, and improved quality of sleep — among many other benefits.
The good news is, hydrotherapy and sauna use alone can have incredible effects on your sleep patterns. When coupled with the previous strategies we mentioned about, you’ll be well on your way to a stress-free lifestyle.
Hot Tubs for Sale at Paradise Valley Spas
Did you find the information in this article helpful for reducing stress levels and improving sleep patterns? To find out more information on buying your first hot tub or sauna for better sleep, our experts at Paradise Valley Spas have got you covered. If you’re ready to take the next step and find the best hot tub for your lifestyle, contact us today. We are always here to help you clear your mind, cleanse your body and get a better night’s rest.
