#Positively Stressed - Week 27
In the Navy, bad sleep wasn’t an inconvenience – it was safety hazard.
For those who aren’t familiar, power plants — including nuclear reactors — must be monitored 24/7/365. That makes perfect sense. But there’s a challenge…
Many times, the schedule looked like this:
1st shift for a week, then a couple days off.
2nd shift for a week, then a couple days off.
3rd shift for a week, then a couple days off.
Then repeat!
Sound exhausting? It was!
That constant shift disruption was like declaring war on your own circadian rhythm. Even the most seasoned sailors felt it — mentally dulled, physically worn down, emotionally frayed.
Thankfully, you’re probably not standing watch tonight over a nuclear reactor… but you may still be stuck in your own version of the same cycle.
It’s called the sleep/stress spiral.
It’s called the SLEEP/STRESS SPIRAL.
First, stress keeps your mind racing at night.
Second, that racing mind either keeps you awake or wakes you up too early and prevents you from going back to bed.
Then your lack of sleep raises stress hormones, making you irritable and further disrupts your body’s natural rhythm.
Which the disruption plays out the next night making it harder to fall or stay asleep.
And the loop continues.
First, stress keeps your mind racing at night.
Second, that racing mind either keeps you awake or wakes you up too early and prevents you from going back to bed.
Then your lack of sleep raises stress hormones, making you irritable and further disrupts your body’s natural rhythm.
Which the disruption plays out the next night making it harder to fall or stay asleep.
And the loop continues.
This isn’t just about being tired. When you break your sleep cycle, you’re fighting your own biology – your immune system takes a hit, your decision-making worsens, and your emotional resilience drops.
Being #PositivelyStressed isn’t about avoiding stress — it’s about facing it head-on and building habits that help us reset.
So how do you break the cycle?
Doctors use the phrase “sleep hygiene” and give you all the standard suggestions. Honestly, most of them don’t work for me.
For me, it’s all about routines.
My go-to: I put on a single episode of a show I’ve seen a million times before on my phone – Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Brooklyn 99. And then I flip the phone over so I’m not actively watching it.
It gives me the “white noise” I need to fall asleep, doesn’t stay on longer than needed, and doesn’t activate other senses that keep me awake.
It’s not fancy, it’s not in a textbook, but it works!
Your turn: What’s your best trick for breaking the sleep/stress spiral? The one that actually works for you – not the one from a brochure. Drop it in the comments – your idea might be the lifeline someone else needs!
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