The Importance of Sleep During Crisis

I thrive in routine and optimizing my personal environment to be as comfortable as possible is essential for me to work and feel at ease. So, imagine the horror I felt when I stepped in what I thought was an accident my dog left for me to clean up only to quickly realize, oh no, it’s much worse…my basement is flooding! In situations like that, the amygdala region of our brains kicks our instinctual fight or flight responses into gear and as we stay and deal with the threat, it’s possible for us to spend every waking moment trying to fix the problem. It’s hard to rest because our bodies are so amped up from adrenaline, but soon exhausted for the same reason.

Sleep during a crisis seems counterintuitive in our hustle hard, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” fixated culture. In society, communities and even families, there are mindsets that associate the desire to sleep as a flawed character trait. To some, sleeping is a sign of laziness, lack of drive or commitment. With those programs running in our psyche along with the stress a crisis brings, sleep disturbances become inevitable. Stress wakes you up through the night as overthinking, analyzing, retracing steps, rethinking responses, and strategizing keeps us from much needed, recuperative slumber. However, when we view sleep as a natural, healthy part of life that is essential for our health and brain function we accept the overwhelming supportive research that recommends we sleep for at least 7-8 hours every day.

Did you know our brains are more active during sleep than when we are awake? That works to your benefit during a crisis because as you sleep, the information you’ve taken in throughout the day transfers from your short-term memory to your long-term memory and makes it easier to identify solutions to problems. Questions you have asked and problems you are experiencing can be resolved via solutions that come together only while you sleep.

Sleep also helps you regulate your emotions. When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain will recall negative information much more easily than positive or neutral information which can negatively affect your ability to cope with the crisis and again, identify the most helpful solutions. Adding to that, a lack of sleep increases cortisol (stress hormone) levels which reduces your cognitive abilities. Cortisol can wreak havoc on all parts of the body (hello, stubborn belly fat) and particularly the hippocampus region of the brain which is responsible for memories.

In a moment of downtime from containing the leaks and working with professionals to repair our basement, I asked my husband and mother-in-law individually, “What’s something healthy you can do for yourself today?” They both said, “I could use a nap”. I was so excited to hear them say that and strongly encouraged them to do so. Knowing how stressful this situation was and how determined we all were to put an end to our crisis; I didn’t think either of them would allow themselves to take a nap. But lo and behold, an hour later, I walked past the office and saw my hubby napping on the couch. I was so proud to see him taking care of himself knowing that resting his mind was the best move he could make towards finding solutions and getting back to normal.

If you’re a person who struggles to sleep no matter what, I challenge you to look at your deeply held beliefs about sleep. Do you believe people who sleep are lazy? Do you believe you are the type of person who only needs 3-4 hours of sleep to be effective or have you conditioned yourself to be that way? Was sleep frowned upon in your family growing up or in your current work settings or your friend circle? Do you feel like sleep should be earned and that you shouldn’t allow yourself to sleep until problems are resolved or the state you want to be in is achieved? I challenge you to identify what beliefs are driving your decisions around if and when you should sleep, especially during stressful events when you need it the most. Then, I double dog dare you to do everything in your power to go to sleep. If it’s difficult for you to fall asleep, set up your environment to make sleep more likely. Guided sleep meditations work well for me along with wearing a black out eye mask. Taking a stress relieving, detoxifying Epsom Salt bath before sleep is helpful, too. Eliminate distractions like your smartphone, tablet or mind-engaging electronics and make the room as dark as possible. There are also natural sleep aides like melatonin, Gaba Calm and teas that may work well for your body chemistry. Experiment. Make it fun, if you can. If you can’t, just make it a priority. People who are sleep deprived function at the same measures as people who are legally drunk. The only difference is that a drunk person tends to have more fun!

Not getting sleep during a crisis that is already stressful is working against yourself, adds more stress, and makes it more difficult to easily think of the best solutions to overcome your situation. I’m not proposing one sleep through a crisis and not actively work to overcome it, but I am championing the importance of setting an intention to prioritize rest and set aside time to sleep during the crisis event so you can respond from your most optimal, healthy state. Your flooded basement or any current crisis you’re dealing with in the moment will be there to greet you in the morning. Do yourself a favor and get as much rest as possible so you can return the greeting with some energy and solutions to kick it’s ass.

Keshawn Hughes is a strategic communicator, wellness advocate and neuroscience enthusiast. She helps individuals and organizations improve their lives and business outcomes by providing practical methods and data-based principles along with lessons from her own personal and professional development journey. Learn more about Keshawn and ways to optimize your life at keshawnhughes.com.