Sleep Away Stress

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"Things will look better in the morning." Ever been told that? Ever said it yourself? It's true, isn't it? Problems that seem monumental before you go to sleep seem to shrink overnight.

My husband seems to have innately understood this for a long time. I can remember several occasions earlier in our marriage where we'd have an intense discussion at night over decisions needing to be made, issues needing to be resolved, or something along those lines, and before it was all completely worked through to my satisfaction, he'd wrap up the discussion and announce it was time to get some sleep.

I totally didn't get this. In my mind, everything needed to be finished and sorted out before going to sleep. I'm the type that wants to lay awake at night trying to solve all the problems of the world (or at least my little corner of it) before I turn off my brain and fall asleep. I hate going to sleep without finishing the task at hand, solving that tight spot in the budget, or making that decision we're on the fence about.

It turns out, however, that staying up and wrestling through that issue may not be the way to go after all. My wise husband who has suggested multiple times to "sleep on it," knows what he's talking about. According to Whole Living magazine (May 2012, p. 59), a recent study from the University of California-Berkeley suggests that the REM stage of sleep actually helps put our problems and emotions into perspective. During sleep, Els van der Helm claims, our brains actually help sort out our problems, process our memories, and remove the sharp edges from our emotional experiences.

Staying up late, pacing, and insisting on solving that problem before you go sleep, like I tend to do, not only robs you of the sleep you need, it also doesn't help nearly as much as letting your brain do its job while you take care of your body. So, don't feel guilty about hitting the hay before you completely solve that issue! It really will look better in the morning.

Of course, there's a difference between going to bed fuming mad and agreeing to set aside an issue until the morning. "Don't let the sun go down on your anger" (Eph. 4:26), but also don't feel like you have to solve every issue before you fall asleep. Let your brain untangle the stressful issue while you get the rest you need.

But what if you have trouble turning off your brain? What if that issue refuses to settle down until morning? Sometimes it can be hard to mentally turn off your problem solving engines so you can get some rest. I've found that I have to purposefully not think about the day I've just finished or the day ahead of me right before I go to sleep. If I do, my mental gears start spinning and I have a really hard time turning them off. Instead, I think about things I really enjoy, like canoeing down a pristine river or walking leisurely through the woods. I guess you could say I find my "happy place" to keep my brain from cranking while I'm trying to wind down. I also keep a sheet of paper beside my bed, so that if something pops into my brain that I really want to remember, I write it down so I don't have to worry about getting it done or remembering it in the morning.

Check out some more tips on falling asleep successfully in the post Sleep Well for Weight Loss.