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Sleep challenges are familiar to many at different stages of life. Stress and hyperactivity can make it significantly more difficult to fall asleep and achieve quality sleep. With breathing exercises that calm the parasympathetic nervous system and other choices that take care of sleep, you can calm your mind, make it easier to fall asleep and improve the quality of your sleep. A trained expert in sleep ergonomics advises the means for an easy change.
Boring or stressful thoughts keep you awake at night and don’t give way to sleep. Perhaps you remember an important work matter that was left undone. Do you still remember it in the morning? These thoughts are very familiar to many, especially in stressful life situations.
You can learn to recognize overstimulation and stress factors in yourself, and practicing recognition can be a great relief in terms of well-being. Studies show that a person can calm the nervous system with many conscious exercises, such as breathing exercises.
Calming the nervous system can have significant positive effects on speeding up falling asleep, the quality of sleep and even improving the quality of life.
This is how the nervous system regulates the state of alertness
Roughly, the human nervous system can be divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system can be divided into somatic i.e. voluntary functions and autonomic nervous system i.e. the nervous system that regulates involuntary functions.
The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions such as breathing, metabolism, heart rate, urine output and blood pressure. It is divided into two parts: the sympathetic nervous system, which accelerates the aforementioned body functions, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms them down.
Physiotherapist (KNA) Marko Makkonen works at Tempur Brand Store, Matkus shopping center in Kuopio. “If it’s difficult to calm down in the evening, or if you’re worried about your sleep and sleeping position, come and visit our store! Let’s watch together!”
– When a person’s well-being is balanced and the ratio of load and recovery is appropriate, a person works in a suitable state of alertness. Performance society, stimuli, activities and new information can make it difficult to balance the state of alertness, because the feelings and thoughts arising from them can easily activate the sympathetic nervous system. This is a significant challenge in today’s society and people’s well-being, says a physiotherapist specializing in psychophysical physiotherapy and a trained expert in sleep ergonomics Marko Makkonen.
The modern world can easily expose you to overstimulation
Even everyday situations that require activity and attentiveness activate the nervous system, and often they do.
The sympathetic nervous system, which accelerates the body’s functions, is often activated in fight-or-flight-type dangerous situations, and in this case the person automatically prepares for a sudden physical performance by breathing more closely and tensing the entire body’s musculature. Adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol begin to be secreted.
This function has a very important function in the human body. In today’s world, however, it is often activated during the day, because the stimuli come from small, everyday things: in the city we hear the sound of a car revving, the phone announces messages, the news shows threatening images of the world’s situation, or backlogs at work press on.
This kind of continuous overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system can lead to insomnia, for example, because it makes it difficult for the body to regulate itself. Poorly slept nights, on the other hand, increase stress and overstimulation, which creates a nasty snowball effect. In the long run, it can lead to work burnout, among other things.
The tendency to hyperactivity challenges sleep and well-being
Do you notice that your heart rate is high in the evening, you react sensitively to environmental stimuli or you feel restless? This can be a sign of overstimulation, which it would be wise to try to curb in order to get better and better quality sleep.
Arousal states play a key role in the quality of a person’s sleep and the time it takes to fall asleep. A state of hyperarousal and the feelings that result from it, such as stress and anxiety, have been studied to have a weakening effect on sleep and links to insomnia.
In an ideal falling asleep breathing slows down, muscles relax, cool inhalation lowers the temperature of the body and especially the brain. For someone suffering from hyperarousal, the situation can be quite the opposite: due to the alert state of the body, the mind and body do not calm down, the sleep can be shallow and interrupted, in which case the mood in the morning is not restored or refreshed.
Calming effect of breathing
The parasympathetic nervous system is the body’s calming part of the autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system acts as a brake on the body, and you can support its operation in many ways when you notice symptoms of overstimulation in the body or mind.
Proven methods for calming the nervous system include breathing exercises, relaxation exercises and mindful presence exercises at home or in another pleasant and calming place.
Although breathing is part of the body’s automatic functions, it can be regulated by yourself to calm the nervous system. Breathing exercises have been found to have a clear connection to a person’s state of alertness and thereby to the body’s functions.
Prolonged exhalations are scientifically proven to enhance the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system. As a result of the relaxation reaction created by the breathing exercise, the activation of the vagus nerve, which regulates breathing, heart rate and digestion, has a calming effect on the body: the blood circulation quickens, the heart rate slows down, the breathing is evened out and deepened.
Try this breathing exercise!
• Find a quiet and peaceful place where you can sit or lie down comfortably. Close your eyes.
• Take a deep breath in through the nose and at the same time calmly count to three. Imagine the air filling your lungs and nourishing your body.
• Hold your breath for a while, for about three seconds. At this point, you can imagine how your body calms down and the tension begins to dissipate.
• Start exhaling slowly through the mouth. Allow the exhaled air to come out evenly for about four seconds. This part of the exercise is particularly important for the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
• Repeat this deep breathing rhythm several times. You can gradually increase the counting time until you reach a comfortable rhythm.
• At the same time, try to clear your mind of other thoughts and focus only on your breathing. Imagine how each exhalation carries with it stress and tension.
Comprehensive review of sleep quality and weakening factors
Exercises that calm the nervous system can serve as a good first aid in stressful and overexcited situations. However, it is especially important to pay attention to the sleeping environment and habits in every situation of life, because recovery mainly takes place during sleep and especially during deep sleep.
Poor recovery has a strong impact on coping with everyday life, mood, alertness and well-being.
Sleeping ergonomics, i.e. positions at night, play an important role in promoting the recovery of the body. Good sleep ergonomics helps the muscles and joints maintain their functionality, avoid pain and stiffness caused by poor sleeping positions, and promote sleep quality.
The material of the sleeping pad also has a big impact on the speed of falling asleep, the quality and quantity of sleep. A good mattress and pillow, together with the right bed base and blanket, create a sleeping platform that suits your body and needs to achieve better sleep.
Take advantage of the offers at tempur.fi >
In stores that sell TEMPUR mattresses and pillows, you can get individual guidance regarding sleeping ergonomics and sleep care. In well-equipped stores, you will be served by a trained sleep ergonomics expert who is equipped to individually select a suitable pillow, blanket, mattress or bed solution. He also gives tips on improving the sleeping environment, taking your needs into account.
Make an appointment at the nearest TEMPUR store, and we will do a completely free sleep ergonomics survey for you, which does not oblige you to make a purchase. In addition, you will receive an appointment booker’s gift with the survey!
Book an appointment for a free sleep ergonomics survey here >
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Sources:
*Based on internal tests comparing TEMPUR® Original material with TEMPUR® Advanced material (Dan-Foam ApS 02-07.2021)
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Kauranen, K. 2017. “Physiotherapist’s handbook”. Helsinki: Sanoma Pro Oy.
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Gerritsen, R. & Band, G. 9.10.2018. “Breath of life: the respiratory vagal stimulation model of contemplative activity” [Verkkolehtiartikkeli]. Frontiers in human neuroscience 12, sivu 397. [Viitattu 9.3.2021]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189422/
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