To understand why stress can impact our sleep, we have to review some basic biology. Your body is designed to respond immediately and quite dramatically to external stressors or dangers. Your natural stress response floods your body with chemicals that prepare you for “fight or flight.” Your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure all increase, your blood flows away from your feet and hands and into your large muscles, your vision and hearing become more acute. You are ready to fight or run!
Surprisingly, after your brain decides that the danger is gone, it stops sending out the emergency signals and within a few minutes, the body functions return to normal. This is called the relaxation response.
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