Untamed & Unfiltered Wellness

Why Can’t I Sleep When I’m Stressed Out?

Season 1 Episode 19

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 8:08

Stress and sleep are like a toxic duo, one feeds the other, leaving you staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. wondering why your brain won’t shut up. In this episode of Untamed and Unfiltered Wellness, we’re breaking down the science of the stress-sleep cycle:

  • How your HPA axis flips the switch and pumps out cortisol
  • Why cortisol blocks melatonin and messes with your circadian rhythm
  • The role your amygdala and nervous system play in racing thoughts and 3 a.m. wake-ups
  • How poor sleep makes you more reactive and stressed the next day (it’s a vicious cycle, but not a hopeless one)

By the end, you’ll finally get why stress hijacks your nights and what awareness can do to crack the cycle open.

This is Part 1 of my three part Stress + Sleep series. In the next episode, we’ll talk about what you can actually do at night to calm your system and get some rest.

Send us Fan Mail

Once a month, I host a free guided journaling practice for women whose stress, anxiety, and overthinking are getting in the way of better sleep.

We meet live on Substack at 9PM Eastern. Our next session is August 5. We spend a few minutes getting all the crap that's running through your head onto paper, then I guide you through a short somatic practice to help you wind down for the night.

It's free for Substack subscriber

Subscribe to our Substack where we go even deeper into today's episode topic. Click HERE to become a free subscriber.

Sign up for our free companion newsletter Get to the Root.

 Website: https://oliviabellco.com

I hope you find some time today for some peace, some plants and some paws!

☮️🌿🐾

Jo

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.