Is Your Sleep Schedule Stressing Your Body? Here’s a Simple Morning Test

Do you often wonder if your sleep schedule is causing stress to your body? There’s an easy way to find out, and it involves checking your heart rate before you even get out of bed.

Recent research indicates that an increase in your morning heart rate can be a sign of heightened stress. In a study involving college students, scientists used sleep-tracking devices to explore the relationship between sleep and stress levels. The findings were clear: getting more sleep can significantly reduce stress.

The researchers discovered that increasing sleep duration decreased the likelihood of experiencing moderate-to-high stress by 38 percent. To assess how well your sleep is aiding stress reduction, measure your heart rate first thing in the morning. Use a heart rate monitor or take your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply the count by 6.

Their research suggests that for every additional beat per minute in your morning heart rate, the odds of experiencing stress increase by about 4 percent. Generally, participants who slept 7 to 8 hours per night reported lower stress levels, which is consistent with other sleep research. Moreover, stress levels decreased with each extra hour of sleep when the students were not getting enough rest initially.

So, if you’re looking to manage stress better, aim for a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night and check your morning heart rate to gauge how well your sleep is supporting your overall stress reduction.