Breaking the Stress-Sleepy Cycle
By Nick Edgerton, ND, LAc S
tress and sleep, or lack thereof, can have signifi cant patho- logical and clinical implications. Stress and sleep are cycli- cally related to one another. Meaning, with stress comes sleep problems, and with a lack of sleep comes an improper stress response.
What is Stress? Let’s defi ne stress as a state of physical, mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. The nervous system has two speeds, one being the sympathetic nervous system which acts as an accelerator and referred to as the fi ght-or-fl ight response, and the other being the parasympathetic nervous system which acts as the brakes and referred to as the rest-and-digest response. These two different modes of the nervous system recruit different hormones and neurotransmitters.
One can measure the physiologic response to stress perceived
by the body via hormones and neurotransmitters. Cortisol, which everyone has, is considered the stress hormone. However, it is not as easy as testing this one level in the blood and determining if a patient has an aberrant stress response. A more accurate way to test is to look at the salivary cortisol level 4 times throughout the day which determines the cortisol curve. Elevated cortisol is a clear sign of the body being under stress. However, a low corti- sol can also indicate signifi cant stress over a long period of time which causes the adrenal glands, where cortisol is produced, to burn out. This example of low cortisol is often referred to as ‘ad- renal fatigue’, which is not recognized by conventional medicine. This might be for good reason, because it is more of an issue with hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction (HPA dysfunc- tion), which is a complex reaction between several glands in the body. Neurotransmitters are another component differing between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The fi ght or fl ight response yields an increase in norepinephrine and epineph- rine, more commonly known as adrenaline.
Our ancestors would stress over uncontrollable circumstances like extreme weather or a lack of food. In the modern day, we are blessed/cursed to have ‘fi rst world problems’, such as the dryer not drying clothes on time, being late to work, not getting as many ‘likes’ on social media as our cohorts, and post-election stress disorder. There are certainly signifi cant stressors in our world today, such as turning on the news, getting notifi cations on our smartphones about North Korea testing missiles and threatening nuclear war, and looming superstorms with increasing frequency. The purpose of these examples demonstrates that everyone is af- fected by stress. One person may have a different stress response to a given stimulus compared to another person. For example, one person may witness a motor vehicle accident and remain cool and collected, while someone else will have a panic attack. This differ- ence is not absolute, but due to varying combination of genetics, environment, and state of physiology (hormones and neurotrans- mitters). There are ways to combat stress no matter the person and the intensity of stress.
Stress vs. Sleep Let’s defi ne sleep as a condition of body and mind such as
that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the muscles relaxed, and consciousness suspended. Humans need adequate sleep to have a normal healthy nervous system. With- out enough restorative sleep, the nervous system will be on edge throughout the coming day causing an exaggerated stress response to relatively insignifi cant events.
Stress can have a negative impact on sleep. The cortisol curve, as mentioned previously, is supposed to be highest during the morning with sunrise, and then taper down throughout the day with the lowest level accompanying sunset and thereafter. Melato- nin is another hormone, which is opposite to cortisol and elevates during the dark hours of the night and diminishes during daylight. Many people use melatonin for sleep support, however this approach does not consider cortisol. In fact, melatonin defi ciency only occurs in older adults, as one makes less melatonin over the age of 50. Despite this, cortisol is still the predominant issue and cortisol regulation is often the goal of proper circadian rhythm. If cortisol is elevated (or depressed as in HPA dysfunction/adrenal fatigue) chances are there will be issues with sleep.
Sleep Hygiene Sleep hygiene is an important topic of discussion. Did you know blue-light, the spectrum of light emitted from screens, is neuro-excitatory. During the day, blue light
20 Natural Nutmeg - November/December 2017
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