Stress Management: 7 Lifestyle Tweaks to Reduce Stress and Sleep Better Naturally

Stress is the body’s natural response to the daily activities we do. However, too much of anything is bad and so is too much stress. It interferes with sleep cycles and quality, but here are some tips to manage it naturally.

A rather underrated activity, a good night’s sleep is a common deprivation many of us have. How often do we complain about lack of sleep and not being able to sleep well? Either we don’t have the ‘time’ or we have a disturbed and stressed sleep cycle. sleep deprivation or lack of sleep has become a more glorified concept with people taking pride in it. There could be several reasons that could lead to a good night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the things that is often overlooked. In the busy culture we live in today, the importance of sleep needs more awareness because poor sleep cycles can adversely affect health in ways we don’t yet know. And speaking of the long term, it could also affect health. An adult should get at least seven to eight hours of good sleep in a day for the body to function optimally. Not getting enough sleep exhausts the body both physically and mentally. Poor quality sleep can also put your heart, kidneys, and mental health at risk.

Here are some basic lifestyle changes one can make to manage stress and get better sleep naturally.

1. Dietary habits: Nutritionist Lovneet Batra shared some tips on how to manage stress and sleep naturally. And one of the first things she mentioned was adding foods like banana, pumpkin seeds or almond or chamomile tea before bed.
2. Eating nuts can also help you sleep: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and cashews are often ranked as good foods for healthy sleep. With melatonin and other minerals in the diet, it has been shown to improve sleep quality in older people with insomnia in a clinical trial using supplements.
3. Dinner time: Keep at least 3 hours between bedtime and dinner.
4. Exercise: This is common advice, a lifestyle change suggested in just about every health-related topic, and with good reason. And in today’s busy culture, physical exercise can take a backseat. However, Batra suggests that if you can’t exercise every day, try to do it at least 4 days a week.
5. Stay hydrated: Stay hydrated and increase your fluid intake.
6. Sharing is showing interest: Talk to your close friends or family to feel good. Talking or sharing feelings is important as it may help reduce emotional baggage. Trust your relatives.
7. Check vitamin levels: Check your vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels. These are also essential for the body and a lack of them could be hindering your sleep.
8. Morning sunlight: Get 15-20 minutes of exposure to morning sunlight. It is also a natural source of vitamin D.

Not everything is as complicated as it might seem in our head. Stress is a natural response to what we experience every day. Whether it is at home, at work or anywhere else, when things accumulate, it affects our body, our daily activities as well. Apart from this, there are several bad everyday habits like messy rooms, screen time right before bed, caffeine before bed, and a few other things that get in the way of a good sleep.

Therefore, striking a balance is essential because chronic stress and lack of sleep can have adverse effects on both physical and mental health.