How Does Stress Affect Your Sleep Quality?

When sleep is in short supply or of poor quality, stress hormones rise, emotions run hotter, and everyday problems feel much harder to handle.¹

How Stress And Sleep Affect Each Other

Stress and sleep have a two‑way relationship: stress makes it harder to sleep and poor sleep makes stress even worse. Over time this can become a vicious cycle that keeps your body in constant “high alert” mode. Here’s why: When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that keep your brain and body wired, and can delay sleep or cause frequent waking. This is why people under pressure often describe feeling tired but too “keyed up” to fall asleep. Not getting enough sleep leaves your body stuck in that alert state, so stress hormones stay elevated and your nervous system never fully powers down. As a result, small hassles can feel like major crises the next day. It can also leave you more vulnerable to getting sick.²

Quality sleep, on the other hand, gives your brain a nightly reset, helping you process stress and return to a calmer baseline. Deep, unbroken sleep acts like an emotional “pressure valve,” lowering next‑day anxiety and tension. Research from UC Berkeley shows that a single sleepless night can raise anxiety levels by up to 30 percent, while deep non‑REM sleep helps restore brain regions that regulate emotions and reduce over‑reactivity.³ This type of slow‑wave sleep is especially important for soothing an anxious or overstressed brain.

Sleep also supports emotional regulation more generally, making it easier to put problems in perspective, think clearly, and cope with everyday challenges. But when sleep is consistently short, mood swings, irritability, and feelings of being overwhelmed become more common.⁴

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

Most adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep per night for optimal mood, thinking, and stress resilience. Regularly sleeping less than seven hours is linked with higher stress, poorer concentration, and more emotional ups and downs.⁵ Experts note that getting even an extra hour of sleep can help you feel noticeably happier and better able to handle stressors. Consistent sleep schedules, rather than big swings between weekdays and weekends, also support more stable mood and stress levels.

Health organizations emphasize that sleep is as important as diet and exercise for protecting long‑term health and mental well‑being.⁶ Treating sleep as a daily non‑negotiable, rather than a luxury, is one of the most effective ways to build everyday stress resilience.

Simple Sleep Habits To Ease Stress

You don’t need a perfect routine to get the stress‑relief benefits from sleep; small, consistent changes can help your body and brain unwind. The goal is to make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get enough deep, restorative rest most nights.

• Keep a regular sleep and wake time, even on weekends, to help your internal clock and stress hormones stay in a healthy rhythm.^7,8
• Build a 30–60 minute wind‑down routine away from bright screens, such as reading, stretching, or taking a warm shower, to signal to your body that it is safe to relax.⁹
• If your mind races in bed, try writing a brief to‑do list for the next day to offload worries and reduce pre‑sleep mental clutter.⁹
• Limit caffeine later in the day and heavy meals or alcohol close to bedtime, since these can interfere with sleep quality and keep your body in a more stressed state.¹⁰

For ongoing insomnia, intense anxiety, or persistent stress that doesn’t improve with lifestyle changes, it is wise to talk with a healthcare professional, as targeted therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can significantly improve both sleep and stress.¹¹

Natural Sleepy Time Supplements

Aged garlic extract (AGE). Garlic might not be the first herb you think of when it comes to sleep, but research shows that aging garlic creates a unique extract format, which contains S-allyl-L-cysteine (an antioxidant-rich compound created during the aging process), improves the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. What’s more, supplementing with AGE reduces feelings of sleepiness upon rising in the morning.¹²

L-theanine. An amino acid derived from green tea, l-theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier to promote relaxation. Research indicates it decreases the time it takes to fall asleep, enhances sleep efficiency, and improves the overall quality of sleep. L-theanine accomplishes this by boosting levels of brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which are involved in regulating mood, emotion, and sleep.¹³ Studies suggest that supplementing with l-theanine may also help lower stress-related cortisol levels.¹⁴

Reishi. Often called the “mushroom of immortality,” reishi is an adaptogenic functional mushroom that helps soothe stress, promote relaxation, and support deeper sleep by improving natural sleep cycles.¹⁵  Instead of knocking you out like a sleeping pill, it provides gentle support so that you’re better able to relax and rest naturally. Research published in Scientific Reports reveals that reishi promotes sleep through gut microbiota and serotonin pathways.¹⁶ Preliminary research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that three days of reishi supplementation significantly increased total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement sleep. Researchers observed an increase in levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), a key substance that plays a role in regulating sleep/wake cycles.¹⁷ Other investigations suggest that reishi also decreases the time it takes to fall asleep.¹⁸

Valerian root. Native to Europe and Asia, valerian root has a long history of use for insomnia, stress, and anxiety. In one review of 16 studies that appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, 80 percent of patients taking valerian reported improved sleep compared with those taking a placebo.¹⁹  A larger meta-analysis of 60 clinical trials involving nearly 7,000 patients concluded that valerian was a safe and effective herb for promoting sleep.²⁰

At the end of the day, getting a good night’s sleep can reset both body and mind, helping stress feel more manageable and life a bit brighter. So tonight, practice healthy sleep habits, take a supplement when needed, and let yourself drift off knowing you’re doing something powerful for your wellbeing—one peaceful night at a time.

1. Bryan L. Why do we need sleep? The Sleep Foundation. 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/why-do-we-need-sleep
2. Hirotsu C, Tufik S, Andersen ML. Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Science. 2015;8(3):143-52.
3. Ben Simon E, Rossi A, Harvey AG, et al. Overanxious and underslept. Nature Human Behavior. 2020;4(1):100-10.
4. Palmer CA, Alfano CA. Sleep and emotion regulation: An organizing, integrative review. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;31:6-16.
5. How much sleep is enough? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 2022. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/how-much-sleep#:~:text=Language%20switcher,for%20children%20under%20age%207.
6. Newsom R. The connection between diet, exercise, and sleep. The Sleep Foundation. 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/diet-exercise-sleep#:~:text=Diet%2C%20exercise%2C%20and%20sleep%20are,the%20better%20your%20well%2Dbeing.
7. Chaput JP, Dutil C, Featherstone R, et al. Sleep timing, sleep consistency, and health in adults: a systematic review. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2020;45(10 (Suppl. 2)):S232-S247.
8. Kim TW, Jeong JH, Hong SC. The impact of sleep and circadian disturbance on hormones and metabolism. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2015;2015:591729.
9. Noyed D. Bedtime routines for adults. The Sleep Foundation. 2025. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/bedtime-routine-for-adults#:~:text=Decide%20on%20a%20Set%20Bedtime,Prepare%20Your%20Bedroom
10. Zunhammer M, Eichhammer P, Busch V. Sleep quality during exam stress: the role of    alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. PLoS One. 2014;9(10):e109490.
11. Ramsawh HJ, Bomyea J, Stein MB, et al. Sleep quality improvement during cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Behavioral Sleep Medicine. 2016;14(3):267-78.
12. Hideshima W, Suzuki N, Takara T, et al. Effects of consuming S-allyl-L-cysteine enriched garlic extract on sleep quality in Japanese adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2025;15(1).
13. Moshfeghinia R, Sanaei E, Mostafavi S, et al. The effects of L-theanine supplementation on the outcomes of patients with mental disorders: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry. 2024;24(1):886.
14. Evans M, McDonald AC, Xiong L, et al. A randomized, triple-Blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study to investigate the efficacy of a single dose of AlphaWave^® L-Theanine on stress in a healthy adult population. Neurology and Therapy. 2021;10(2):1061-78.
15. Nye Venter R, Wildman R, Haub M, et al. Mood and sleep benefits of mushroom supplementation in young adults: an exploratory randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences. 2025;15(5):10000097.
16. Yao, C., Wang, Z., Jiang, H. et al. Ganoderma lucidum promotes sleep through a gut microbiota-dependent and serotonin-involved pathway in mice. Scientific Reports. 2021;11:13660.
17. Cui XY, Cui SY, Zhang J, et al. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum prolongs sleep time in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2012;139(3):796-800.
18. Chu QP, Wang LE, Cui XY, et al. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via a GABAergic mechanism. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior.    2007;86(4):693-8.
19. Bent S, Padula A, Moore D, et al. Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Medicine. 2006;119(12):1005-12.
20. Shinjyo N, Waddell G, Green J. Valerian root in treating sleep problems and associated disorders-A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Evidences-Based Integrative Medicine. 2020;25:2515690X20967323.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.