Sleep, Stress and Mental Clarity

The science behind it all.

Ever woken from an amazing nights sleep and thought you could take on the world? Felt so invigorated, rejuvenated, rested that you had the strength of superwoman… and then some? Your mind, so clear, your focus so fierce, your concentration so precise. You charged through your day, barely batting an eyelid, firing through your hit list like it was slicing butter. You smashed your workout, shelled out compliments to everyone like they were going out of style, and had enough energy for a nookie with your partner, or at least a decent flirt with your dating app crush. All of this… and more… is what deep quality sleep offers you. This promised land is not a fantasy, not a dream – it is the reality of high quality, restorative sleep. While it does a lot for your body, today, we are focused on the mind – so then you can flick a few pages over and start manifesting your dreams (thanks Vanessa). Let’s dive in…

How does sleep impact mental clarity?

We have a few factors at hand here:

1. Lack of sleep increases stress hormone cortisol by 37%.
   Cortisol is great in small amounts, but not like this – it overrides our frontal lobe, which means we make impulsive, stress based decisions – like jumping to the conclusion that your boss hates you or your boyfriend is about to break up with you. It also means you make decisions based on what will reduce stress – such as saying yes to wine even though you’re on a detox, because it will feel good in the moment; or texting your ex even though you know you shouldn’t.
2. Lack of sleep impairs the frontal lobe
   Outside of the impact of cortisol, lack of sleep compromises our frontal lobe, our all important ‘control center’ of the brain, responsible for decision making, judgement, rational thinking, concentration, attention. When impaired, plain and simple, we can’t think straight. And sure, it is not impossible – but it’s not great. And with respect to our other stories – namely Finding Your Flow and Mastering Manifestation – ask yourself… how are you meant to do any of this if you can’t even think straight? How are you meant to clearly identify and articulate your goals, desires, dreams – if you can’t string a sentence together?
3. Sleep clears out beta amyloid, a neurotoxin otherwise leading to memory loss and poor mental clarity… just like alzheimers disease.
   A study revealed lack of sleep is so problematic for brain health largely because of beta amyloid – a neurotoxin to clog up the neural connections, and prevent transmission from one region to another. Ever slept like sh*t and then tried to remember something the next day… and simply could not? Despite knowing that you very well knew the information, just couldn’t jolt it out of memory? That is exactly what beta amyloid does. And after just 1 night of insufficient sleep, it can increase in the brain by 30%; let alone months or years.

How does sleep impact stress and anxiety?

So.. I mentioned stress hormone cortisol running rampant after lack of sleep? As you may have guessed, this also leads to increased levels of stress and anxiety. Signified by mental rumination, feeling anxious, being unable to switch off, difficulties concentrating, distractability, irritability… this hormone is not mental health friendly.
Over time, this becomes worse – our HPA axis, the region in the brain to release cortisol, becomes more and more dysfunctional.
As a result, often, this leads to the more and more cortisol being released, which overloads and burns out the stress system, leading to burnout. And, in a burnt out state, these symptoms are magnified – think crippling anxiety, panic attacks, meltdown.
Overall, the evidence indicate insomniacs are 17 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder. Really.

What can we do?

There is SO much you can do to improve your sleep, and mind, at the same time:

1. Minimise light an hour before bed – at least. Light is our primary zeitgeber, and therefore, primary factor to control melatonin, the key hormone to help us fall and stay asleep. Ideally, get blue light blocking glasses, but even if you don’t have these, you can still keep the lights low and screens off.
2. Have a shower – a shower helps lower your core body temperature, which promotes melatonin synthesis too. Simply by moving from a warm shower to a cool bathroom, you get colder, which catalyses this process.
3. Have tech free time – reading can reduce stress by 68%, with the effects starting in 6 minutes, whilst listening to calming music can slow brainwaves down, helping you feel more relaxed. The master here though? Meditation – long term meditators have 3 times the amount of deep sleep, compared to non-meditators.
4. Have natural sleep supplements. Go for magnesium glycinate, which is the best magnesium for sleep, and an adaptogen – a compound that buffers the release of stress hormone cortisol, so you feel more relaxed before and during the night. Adaptogens I recommend include CBD (check out Krush Organics), reishi mushrooms, and ashwagandha.
5. Keep your sleep sanctuary cool: overheating can limit melatonin production, so sleeping on temperature regulating fabrics like Celliant is super helpful – and can make a noticeable difference to your shut eye.

5 top tips to improve your sleep, reduce your stress and strengthen your mindset… what are you waiting for?! Dive in – your best night’s sleep is just around the corner..

For the full article grab the October/November 2024 issue of Women’s Fitness Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.