Are you stressed? If so, you certainly are not alone. According to the Global Association for Stress, 80% of people feel work-related stress. In addition to the regular trials and tribulations of our careers, 75% of Americans experienced moderate to high-stress levels in the past month. According to results from the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2020 survey, general stress levels are significantly above average compared to years past. This is no doubt thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, virtual schooling, an election year, and more. When we’re anxious or stressed, we want to rest. However, that peaceful moment or extra hour of sleep becomes more difficult to obtain because of the very anxiety and stress we are hoping to get rid of. It isn’t fair!
You lie in bed and cannot turn off your brain. Does this sound familiar? Tension in your mind can make it difficult to sleep. What many people don't realize is that when they're stressed about something, their bodies are feeling the stress too, not just their brain. Your entire body is tensed up as a result. To understand why, you need to know a bit about our hormones. The body naturally produces cortisol throughout the day, with levels spiking immediately after we wake up and gradually decreasing throughout the day. If you are too worried about what occurred that day or what will happen the next day, your cortisol levels remain too high. As a result, your body and mind stay awake.
Stress and REM Sleep
According to Harvard Medical School, focusing on increasing your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep can be a great place to start on your journey to reduced stress and better mental health. You see, REM sleep is the period when people dream, learn, and memorize. Spending time in REM contributes to emotional health in complex ways. Scientists have discovered that spending enough time in this particular sleep stage helps your brain by improving critical thinking and allowing you to better regulate your emotions.
REM sleep is important because it is the restorative part of our sleep cycle. This may sound obvious, but one way to focus on getting more REM sleep is getting more total sleep. The more time you spend asleep, the more REM sleep phases you experience! Another great piece of advice is to decrease your pre-bed phone, television, and social media time. Instead, increase the time you spend with mindfulness practices like reading a novel, yoga, meditation, or deep breathing.
How a Better Mattress will Deliver a Better Night of Sleep
REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. In order to reach REM, not just once but over and over throughout the night, you need to stay asleep. REM is the last stage in our sleep cycle, so waking up to toss and turn on an uncomfortable mattress will reduce the amount of time you spend in it. This means focusing on finding a mattress that allows you to stay in the deep, restful slumber.
Your body needs to stay asleep! Without quality sleep that regularly cycles through REM, you can’t form or maintain the pathways in your brain that allow you to de-stress. If you think you’re waking up too often throughout the night and therefore not entering REM the way you need to, it is time to do something about it. Many times, a better mattress can be a big part of the solution.
Choosing a high-quality mattress made from top-tier materials is crucial if you want a positive, restful experience. Quality materials and construction also ensure you’ll get a durable, reliable product that’s worth the money and will last as long as you’d like it to. PranaSleep luxury mattresses feature varying densities of our proprietary blend of Talalay latex foam- providing core and comfort layers with firm, yet supple support that are uniquely comforting and conforming to your body’s individual curves. Our mattresses are both soft and supportive. That’s not all. Our mattresses also feature other luxurious materials to enhance every aspect of your sleep experience. For instance, our Om Collection features natural silk, wool, and cashmere, as well as a core and comfort layers comprised of this 100% natural Talalay latex. We also have an Organics Collection, featuring high-quality, eco-friendly mattresses. All PranaSleep mattresses are truly superior products for a superior night of sleep.
A high-quality, premium mattress means more time cycling through sleep cycles and getting to REM sleep. REM is good for stress relief. It is that simple! The right type of luxury mattress for you is also simple. You need a PranaSleep! Very soon, you’ll be sleeping soundly through the entire eight hours and entering REM the way your body requires. This REM sleep will help to reduce your stress, and feeling less stress will help you sleep better. The vicious cycle will finally be broken!
