Stress is an unfortunate fact of life. No matter how at ease you may be, at some point stress will creep up on you. While it’s perfectly natural, stress and anxiety before bed can take a serious toll on personal and professional life.
Feelings of stress trigger the body’s fight or flight response and comes with symptoms like an accelerated heart rate and rapid breathing. At night, these feelings can wreak havoc on sleep and range from restlessness to full-blown insomnia.
Our brain doesn’t turn off as we try and go to sleep. It’s common for your brain to just keep running as you try to fall asleep, even when you feel physical exhausted. You can roll around and try to enjoy your Wyoming King bed as much as you want, but it won’t solve the problem itself.
Thankfully, there are plenty of strategies for relieving stress when it’s time for bed. If you can’t seem to let go of work, school or personal concerns when you lay down at night, these methods can help relax the body and put your mind at ease.
Start your bedtime routine with breathing exercises.
Have you noticed a difference in your breathing patterns when stressed? When stress consumes the body, our breath tends to grow erratic and short. However, when relaxed, we breathe deeper, calming breaths.
Before bed, practicing exercises focused on the pace and depth of your breath can be a powerful aid in relaxing the body and the mind. There is a wide selection of breathing exercises to choose from, but a great starter is belly breathing. This method can be used to build up to more advanced exercises like 4-7-8 breathing and roll breathing.
If you complete these breathing exercises in bed, your body will begin to associate a calmer environment with your bed. Try to avoid using any technology in bed and make your bedtime routine focused on destressing.
Do a bit of meditating before bed.
Another tool at the disposal of the stressed sleeper is mediation. There are a variety of approaches to mediation, but all can open the door to a full night of sleep.
Three common forms of meditation:
Mindfulness mediation focuses on bringing one’s attention and thoughts to the present. Mindfulness meditation keeps thoughts in the now and can help limit the mind’s ability to wander to stressful topics when it’s time for bed.
Loving-kindness mediation aims to cultivate feelings of understanding and compassion and cast out judgement. This form of mediation focuses on positive visualization techniques that deter negative nighttime thoughts.
Movement mediation is all about the body. This form of mediation can be practiced through light physical activity like yoga or walking. Obviously, movement mediation is not the best for late-night stress right before bed but making it part of your evening routine can allow you to wind down and calm down for the night.
There are plenty more forms of meditation if these don’t fit your needs, and many of these can be done at any time stress strikes throughout the night.
If you choose to meditate in bed, you should consider buying a larger bed. A mattress like the Wyoming King gives you enough space to comfortably meditate while your partner or pets can sleep their worries away. If you live on your own, then movement meditation when you wake up can be completed in bed. You’ll further associate calming meditative experiences with your bed making going to bed at night easier.
Develop a consistent nighttime routine.
While actively seeking nighttime stress relief can be a wonderful way to unwind, one of the less technical yet highly effective approaches to securing a full eight hours of rest is to establish a consistent nighttime routine. A well-structured routine can significantly contribute to achieving peaceful and rejuvenating sleep.
The components of a successful nighttime routine can vary from person to person. They all share the common goal of promoting relaxation and preparing the body for a restful night's sleep. Finding a nightly routine that works for you and encourages peaceful sleep is crucial.
Here are some common methods you might consider:
Keeping a journal provides an outlet for unburdening your thoughts and emotions. Spending a few moments jotting down your daily experiences, worries, or aspirations can help clear your mind.
A soothing warm shower or bath can work wonders in easing tension and setting the stage for relaxation. The gentle flow of water can soothe the body and mind, making it an ideal prelude to bedtime.
Minimize exposure to blue light from screens, such as phones, tablets, and computers, in the hour or two leading up to bedtime. The blue light emitted by these devices can interfere with your natural circadian rhythms, making it harder to fall asleep. Instead, try reading a physical book or practicing other relaxing activities that don't involve screens.
Caffeine, especially when consumed in the afternoon and evening, can linger in your system, making it challenging to fall asleep. Remember, even tea has caffeine in it so change to decaf one the afternoon hits.
Ensure that your sleep environment is designed for tranquility. This includes maintaining a comfortable room temperature, keeping the bedroom dark and quiet, and investing in a comfortable mattress and bedding. If you don’t have high quality bed sheets, you should consider ordering a new set soon.
Spend the time immediately before bedtime participating in activities that relaxes you. Whether it's reading a book, practicing gentle yoga, or enjoying a soothing cup of herbal tea, these activities help you unwind.
Determine the cause of restless nights
Stress is a common sleep disruptor, but it may not be the cause of all those late nights. Ensuring you’re providing yourself with optimal sleeping conditions may reveal stress wasn’t the culprit.
Before you start panicking about high blood-pressure and anxiety, make sure you’re giving your body what it needs.
Getting into a rhythm that works best for you may take some trial and error in the beginning, but once you have it down you will be well on your way to better sleep and in-turn better mental health, higher productivity, and a more enriching personal life.
You could be due for a new mattress and bed linens.
When was the last time you changed your mattress? The average bed should be replaced every 6 to 8 years. A sign you need to make an upgrade is if your sleep is continually poor despite best efforts to make changes (take a look at our tips above – if they’re not working, you need a new bed), if your mattress is sagging, or if you wake up in pain or feel stiff. Finding the right bed doesn’t have to feel overwhelming as we have an in-depth guide to help you find the best Wyoming mattress.
If your lack of sleep is compromising your productivity and physical/mental health, it’s time for an upgrade. Our Wyoming King beds are perfect for those who feel claustrophobic while sleeping and need the space to stretch out and relax.
It’s important to feel excited and comfortable when you go to bed. Your current bed’s sheets might also be due for an upgrade. Worn out linen can make your skin feel comfortable and make tossing and turning even more unbearable. Swap out your bedding with our Egyptian cotton Wyoming King sheets. You’ll go to bed feeling luxurious, pampered, and relaxed.