There are many events that renew and repair the body, such as quality and good sleep, tissue repair, muscle growth, protein synthesis. However, prolonged sleeplessness does a lot of damage. When a person is exposed to stress for a long time, this can cause a lot of damage to the body. Insomnia and stress, which are related to each other, also trigger each other. So, how do we get rid of this duo, which affects our lives much more than we think?
Sleep has more important functions and benefits than we think. If we have enough quality and good sleep, many events that renew and repair the body such as tissue repair, muscle growth, protein synthesis take place. However, prolonged sleep deprivation also causes a lot of damage.
Stress can also become chronic and cause a lot of damage to the body when exposed to it for a long time. Insomnia and stress are two closely related conditions. They have effects that trigger each other. Therefore, these two enemies affect our lives much more than we think.
First, let's look at the results of an important study published last month. In the scientific study published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the terrible effects of insomnia and stress in our lives are better understood.
According to the research results; Workers with work stress, insufficient sleep and high blood pressure are 3 times more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases. Good sleep, which allows us to rest and increase our energy level, also helps to heal the body. Job stress is also more common in those who sleep less and poorly. When these two factors are combined with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, they directly impair cardiovascular health.
WHAT IS STRESS?
Anything that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain can cause stress. Changing a job, changing city, getting a divorce or even getting married can be stressful. Anything that changes the existing situation can cause stress.
The starting point of stress is to protect human beings, who are trying to survive under all conditions. When faced with any life-threatening stimulus, stress hormones come into play. We can run faster than we could ever run, and we can engage in stronger physical struggles than we ever imagined, because our body's 'fight or flight' system has been activated.
However, the causes of stress today are very different from those encountered in the course of evolution. Many things that do not actually threaten our lives, such as staying in traffic, housework, workload, cause stress for us. Therefore, the stress hormone, which rose centuries ago on the battlefield of our ancestors or in situations such as sudden attacks, can rise for many reasons today. Being constantly exposed to stress causes our body to be constantly tense and can change our reactions, behaviors and mentality.
WHAT DOES STRESS DO TO OUR BODY?
Stress has an effect that is beneficial to some extent, provides motivation, increases the concentration of people and even increases success in exams. However, chronic stress also opens the door to many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Headache, anxiety, overeating or malnutrition, in short, eating disorder, muscle tension or pain, restlessness, outbursts of anger, chest pain, lack of motivation or difficulty concentrating, drug or alcohol abuse, chronic fatigue, sexual aversion, asociality, upset stomach illness, depression, sleep problems, effects of stress on our body.
WHAT TO DO?
As we said, stress can be a good and beneficial thing up to a point. However, exposure to chronic and high levels of stress creates many negative effects such as cardiovascular health, mental state, sleep, and weight gain. Changing the perspective on events that cause stress not only has positive effects on general health, but also increases life motivation. The stress rate is lower in those who have a solution-oriented perspective on life, know that every event is a temporary process, and actually do not take everything too seriously.
WHAT DOES LOW QUALITY SLEEP DO TO THE BODY?
Like stress, sleep also has many negative effects on the body. Major reparative functions in the body such as tissue repair, muscle growth, and protein synthesis occur almost exclusively during sleep. The hormone melatonin, which protects against cancer, regulates the body rhythm, and is secreted only when sleeping in the dark, between 22:00 and 04:00 at night, is also not secreted in late and little sleepers. Purifying the body from toxins, repairing and renewing cells and tissues are also among the positive actions that are dormant.
So what happens when we get too little sleep? Insufficient sleep slows down metabolism, increases appetite and disrupts the balance of some hormones. Sleeping less for a few days increases insulin resistance, even in healthy individuals, like a diabetic. In addition to obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, even life expectancy can be shortened. Even babies who sleep for a short time develop obesity when they reach childhood. According to recent studies, sleeping less than 7 hours a day greatly increases the risk of future heart attack and coronary artery calcification. It was also found that people who slept little and were exposed to viruses that cause colds were 3 times more likely to develop cold symptoms than those who slept for 8 hours.
All these studies prove that the time we steal from sleep may actually be the years we steal from our life. Sleep should be the first thing that should be applied to protect people's health, suppress stress and sadness, and increase productivity in business and student life.
HOW DO WE GET BACK FROM SLEEPLESSNESS AND STRESS?
First of all, get the stress in your life under control. Physical activity has a huge impact on your brain and body. Exercise can help control stress. In addition, techniques such as yoga and meditation help to relax.
– Stop using tobacco and alcohol, lose excess weight. Changes in lifestyle can also positively affect your life.
– Although watching TV and surfing the internet may seem like good solutions to manage stress, it is actually better to spend time with friends and family, socialize or read a book.
– If you are unable to cope with stress or its symptoms, seek help from a professional counselor.
– Stay away from factors that disturb sleep. Do not pick up the phone in the evening to avoid exposure to the blue light emitted by technological devices at night. Also, stop eating late and consuming caffeine. If your sleep problems are seriously affecting your life despite all these precautions, contact sleep centers. If insomnia becomes chronic and localized, it may become more difficult to treat.
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