Holidays are usually a happy occasion, although they can also bring a lot of negative stress. Add the negative stress of the continued pandemic along with loneliness due to ongoing quarantines, and it is a mixture that can cause the soundest sleeper among us to have problems drifting off. Negative stress causes a release of stress hormones that increase the heart rate and change the blood flow. Over a long time, this can cause physical changes including sleep deprivation. Statistics show that Americans are sleep deprived, which is defined as having fewer than seven hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprived adults have increased risk for health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and depression.
What Can We Do to Sleep Better and Improve Health?