Learn how to improve your sleep quality and stress levels.
We all have nights when it’s hard to wind down. Let's face it — in today’s world we have a lot of information and emotional overload coming in from work, world news, and life’s unpredictability. Stress levels affect our sleep, and our sleep quality affects how well we manage our stress — creating a potentially unhealthy cycle. Studies continue to show the relationship between sleep and stress, which is why it's important to do what you can to keep the system healthy.
One simple thing you can do to support your sleep is consider your daily stress curve, which takes two factors into account: performance and stress level. When you have too little stress and too little energy output, you have “underload,” which may make you feel antsy. This is a signal from your body that you have energy waiting to be used, and if you don’t, it may lead to trouble drifting off. On the other hand, too much stress and too much activity leads to the feeling of overload and eventually the feeling of burnout. If you push yourself too hard on these days, you’ll be racking up cumulative stress over time, which could lead to chronic insomnia.
All to say, daily stress management and physical activity go hand-in-hand when it comes to supporting sleep quality. Here are some strategies I’ve found beneficial for optimizing stress and performance throughout the day, leading to better sleep at night.
Assess How You Feel When You Wake Up
Start with a mind-body scan right after waking to help you gauge how best to manage the day’s tasks. Consider how your body feels and if you notice any pain or soreness. Start with your feet and work your way up to your head, thinking about every joint and limb in between. Focus on any sore areas you notice with massage therapy or other forms of soft tissue work, like foam rolling.
Then, bring your focus to your mind: How are your energy and stress levels? Keep this simple by rating them as either low, medium, or high. Based on these levels, make any adjustments to your workload for the day. For example, tackling certain high-priority tasks can help with immediate stress relief.
If you have a wearable health device, you can take your analysis a step further by comparing your mind-body scan with the data you are seeing on your smart device. You can use markers such as resting heart rate or recovery score, and compare this information to your intuitive mind-body scan.
Get Physical Activity Midday
Studies show that moving your body during the day can reduce anxiety and stress levels. Even 10- to 15-minute bouts of exercise can add up to big benefits. When determining your exercise for the day, think back to your morning mind-body scan. If you're feeling well-rested, capitalize on that with a more intense workout, like tabata or MetCon. Alternatively, if you find you're feeling a little sluggish, opt for a low- or moderate-intensity activity or something regenerative, like yoga or stretching.
Create a Nighttime Routine
A solid bedtime routine will set you up for optimal sleep quantity and quality. It’s recommended that adults get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night. To improve sleep quality, consider your environment. Do things such as dimming the lights in your home about an hour before bed, limiting blue light use as much as possible, and setting your bedroom temperature between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit to support comfortable sleep. Once my environment is right, I get ready for bed and turn on a Headstrong Meditation that encourages sleep. Most of the time, I will fall asleep during my meditation session.
Trouble Falling Asleep? Try Meditation or Breathwork
If meditation is not your thing, research shows breathwork techniques can help calm the nervous system to help you relax and fall asleep. Some of my favorites include 4-7-8 breathing and box breathing. The 4-7-8 breathing method is a four-second inhale through your nose, a seven-second pause, and finally an eight-second exhale through your mouth.
Box breathing involves counts of four. Start by lying on your back or finding a comfortable seat. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your low belly. Start with a four-second inhale through your nose — your belly should rise. Hold for four seconds, then exhale through your mouth for a count of four. To complete the “box,” hold your breath for a count of four before repeating the cycle.
Understanding sleep is a 24-hour cycle, not just the seven to eight hours we hear about, is key to catching quality zzz’s. Give these tips a try, and over time you’ll notice how your sleep quality and stress load improve.
Dan Hagen is a COACH X and Equinox Regional Personal Training Manager based in Chicago. With more than 12 years of experience at Equinox, Dan brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He holds certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Precision Nutrition (Pn2) and in Functional Range Conditioning and Functional Range Assessment (FRA). Outside of work, Dan is a dedicated endurance athlete, having competed in multiple Ironman 70.3 triathlons and the Chicago Marathon. Currently, he's training for Ironman Arizona. Outside of fitness, Dan enjoys spending time with family and friends in both Chicago and St. Louis.