Navigating Health

Archive for December 29th, 2009

Our lives seem to become increasingly stressful. We work harder than ever and our personal lives have become more complex. Family community support systems are often not so readily available. So, stress is a major factor in most people’s lives. Some stress may be beneficial many people need a certain level of stress to perform at their best. It is when stress becomes excessive and unmanageable, with no apparent resolution, that problems start to arise. This is why it is very important to be able to recognize stress and know how to manage it. It is usually possible to recognize when levels of stress become unmanageably high. Stress trends to manifest itself in either psychological or physical symptoms, but sometimes as both.

Many life events can be a major source of stress; even when an event is a wholly desirable one, such as a wedding or house move. We spend approximately one third of our lives asleep but many of the elements of this fundamental biological process-exactly why we sleep and how our bodies know when to sleep-still elude sleep science researchers. An adequate period of sleep is necessary to allow the body and mind to rest properly and what is adequate will vary from person to person.

Making sure that you have enough sleep is vital in terms of stress management so it is perhaps surprising then that many people do not allow themselves adequate periods of sleep. If you are having difficulty sleeping or feel that you have poor quality sleep, it may well be helpful to discuss the situation with your doctor. If you have already tried some of the self help suggestions then it may be that you need a mild hypnotic drug to help you to re-establish a sleep pattern.