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Create a sleeping environment that is comfortable and conducive to sleep. If you can control the temperature
in your room, keep it cool in the evening. Scientists believe a cool bedroom (around 65 degrees) may be best
for sleep, since it mimics our body's natural temperature drop. Exposure to bright light suppresses our body’s
ability to make melatonin, so keep the room as dark as possible. A 2010 study in The Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism found that individuals exposed to room light “during the usual hours of sleep
15
suppressed melatonin by greater than 50%.” Even the tiniest bit of light in the room (like from a clock radio
LCD screen) can disrupt your internal clock and your production of melatonin, which will interfere with your
sleep. A sleep mask may help eliminate light, and earplugs can help reduce noise.
Avoid eating late or drinking alcohol or caffeine close to bedtime.
It is best to finish eating at least two hours before bedtime and avoid caffeine after lunch. While not everyone
is affected in the same way, caffeine hangs around a long time in most bodies. Although alcohol will make you
drowsy, the effect is short-lived and you will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back to sleep.
Alcohol can also keep you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, where your body does most of the repair
and healing. A 2013 Scientific Research study concluded that “energy drinks, other caffeinated beverages and
alcoholic beverages are risk factors of poor sleep quality.” It’s important to finish eating hours before bedtime
so your body is able to heal and detoxify and it is not spending the first few hours of sleep digesting a heavy
meal.
Start to wind down an hour before bed.
There are great apps to help with relaxation, stress release, and falling asleep. Or you can simply practice 4-7-8
breathing to calm your nervous system—breathe in to the count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and
release your breath slowly to the count of 8.
15 JCEM, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047226/

345

346

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

Consider the Insight Timer (http://insighttimer.com) app, or any of the free apps (https://openstax.org/l/
sleepapps) listed by the American Sleep Association.
Exercise for 30 minutes a day.
One of the biggest benefits of exercise is its effect on sleep. A study from Stanford University found that 16
weeks in a moderate-intensity exercise program allowed people to fall asleep about 15 minutes faster and
sleep about 45 minutes longer. Walking, yoga, swimming, strength training, jumping rope—whatever it is, find
an exercise you like and make sure to move your body every day.
Improve your diet.
Low fiber and high saturated fat and sugar intake is associated with lighter, less restorative sleep with more
wake time during the night. Processed food full of chemicals will make your body work extra hard during the
night to remove the toxins and leave less time for healing and repair.
Sleep affects how we look, feel, and function on a daily basis and is vital to our health and quality of life. When
you get the sleep your body needs, you look more vibrant, you feel more vibrant, and you have the energy to
live your best life.
Now, with a better understanding of the benefits of getting the recommended hours of nightly sleep and the
health risks of not getting enough sleep, what changes can you make to improve the quality and quantity of
your sleep?

What If I’m Doing All These Things and I Still Have Trouble Sleeping?
People that have trouble falling asleep also often have low magnesium levels (sources suggest that over half of
the adults in the United States are magnesium deficient). You can ask your doctor to check your magnesium
levels, but you can also focus on eating magnesium-rich foods to help. One of the best magnesium-rich snacks
is pumpkin seeds. Other great sources are almonds, sesame seeds, and walnuts.
Difficulty sleeping may be a sign that you have a clinical sleep problem, such as insomnia or sleep apnea. If
you are doing all the right things and still have trouble falling or staying asleep, talk to your doctor.
These are some resources for insomnia:
• Healthy Sleep (https://openstax.org/l/gettingsleep), Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine
• Insomnia Treatment (https://openstax.org/l/insomniatreatment), American Association of Sleep Medicine
• Sleep Medicine (https://openstax.org/l/behaviroalsleepmedicine), Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine

ANALYSIS QUESTION
Do you have a ritual to shut down your day and calm your mind? If yes, can you identify two ways to
improve upon your current ritual? If no, what three things can you put in place to prepare your body and
mind for a restorative night’s sleep?

11.3 Taking Care of Your Emotional Health
Estimated completion time: 16 minutes.
Questions to consider:
• What are some of the ways to tell if you are holding onto stress?

Access for free at openstax.org

11.3 • Taking Care of Your Emotional Health

• How do mindfulness and gratitude encourage emotional health?

Identifying and Managing Stress
According to a 2018 report from the American College Health Association, in a 12-month period 42 percent of
college students reported that they have felt so depressed it was difficult to function, and 63 percent reported
16
feeling overwhelming anxiety. Your ability to manage stress, maintain loving relationships, and rise to the
demands of school and work all impact your emotional health.
Stress is not always bad. In fact, some stress is helpful. Good stress is stress in amounts small enough to help
you meet daily challenges. It’s also a warning system that produces the fight-or-flight response, which
increases blood pressure and your heart rate so you can avoid a potentially life-threatening situation. Feeling
stressed can be perfectly normal, especially during exam time. It can motivate you to focus on your work, but
it can also become so overwhelming you can’t concentrate. It’s when stress is chronic (meaning you always feel
stressed) that it starts to damage your body.

What Chronic Stress Does to Your Body
Do you find it difficult to concentrate or complete your work? Are you frequently sick? Do you have regular
headaches? Are you more anxious, angry, or irritable than usual? Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying
awake? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you may be holding on to too much stress.
Stress that hangs around for weeks or months affects your ability to concentrate, makes you more accidentprone, increases your risk for heart disease, can weaken your immune system, disrupts your sleep, and can
17
cause fatigue, depression, and anxiety. To learn more about what stress does to your body, click here:
apa.org/helpcenter/stress.
Some people refer to the time we are living in as the age of overload. It’s easy to get worn down by social
media and the constant news cycle, and to be overwhelmed by too many choices. We live in a fast-paced,
always-on world with a lot of pressures. The military created the VUCA acronym for the world we currently live

Create a sleeping environment that is comfortable and conducive to sleep. If you can control the temperature

in your room, keep it cool in the evening. Scientists believe a cool bedroom (around 65 degrees) may be best

for sleep, since it mimics our body's natural temperature drop. Exposure to bright light suppresses our body’s

ability to make melatonin, so keep the room as dark as possible. A 2010 study in The Journal of Clinical

Endocrinology & Metabolism found that individuals exposed to room light “during the usual hours of sleep

15

suppressed melatonin by greater than 50%.” Even the tiniest bit of light in the room (like from a clock radio

LCD screen) can disrupt your internal clock and your production of melatonin, which will interfere with your

sleep. A sleep mask may help eliminate light, and earplugs can help reduce noise.

Avoid eating late or drinking alcohol or caffeine close to bedtime.

It is best to finish eating at least two hours before bedtime and avoid caffeine after lunch. While not everyone

is affected in the same way, caffeine hangs around a long time in most bodies. Although alcohol will make you

drowsy, the effect is short-lived and you will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back to sleep.

Alcohol can also keep you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, where your body does most of the repair

and healing. A 2013 Scientific Research study concluded that “energy drinks, other caffeinated beverages and

alcoholic beverages are risk factors of poor sleep quality.” It’s important to finish eating hours before bedtime

so your body is able to heal and detoxify and it is not spending the first few hours of sleep digesting a heavy

meal.

Start to wind down an hour before bed.

There are great apps to help with relaxation, stress release, and falling asleep. Or you can simply practice 4-7-8

breathing to calm your nervous system—breathe in to the count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and

release your breath slowly to the count of 8.

15 JCEM, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047226/

345

346

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

Consider the Insight Timer (http://insighttimer.com) app, or any of the free apps (https://openstax.org/l/

sleepapps) listed by the American Sleep Association.

Exercise for 30 minutes a day.

One of the biggest benefits of exercise is its effect on sleep. A study from Stanford University found that 16

weeks in a moderate-intensity exercise program allowed people to fall asleep about 15 minutes faster and

sleep about 45 minutes longer. Walking, yoga, swimming, strength training, jumping rope—whatever it is, find

an exercise you like and make sure to move your body every day.

Improve your diet.

Low fiber and high saturated fat and sugar intake is associated with lighter, less restorative sleep with more

wake time during the night. Processed food full of chemicals will make your body work extra hard during the

night to remove the toxins and leave less time for healing and repair.

Sleep affects how we look, feel, and function on a daily basis and is vital to our health and quality of life. When

you get the sleep your body needs, you look more vibrant, you feel more vibrant, and you have the energy to

live your best life.

Now, with a better understanding of the benefits of getting the recommended hours of nightly sleep and the

health risks of not getting enough sleep, what changes can you make to improve the quality and quantity of

your sleep?

What If I’m Doing All These Things and I Still Have Trouble Sleeping?

People that have trouble falling asleep also often have low magnesium levels (sources suggest that over half of

the adults in the United States are magnesium deficient). You can ask your doctor to check your magnesium

levels, but you can also focus on eating magnesium-rich foods to help. One of the best magnesium-rich snacks

is pumpkin seeds. Other great sources are almonds, sesame seeds, and walnuts.

Difficulty sleeping may be a sign that you have a clinical sleep problem, such as insomnia or sleep apnea. If

you are doing all the right things and still have trouble falling or staying asleep, talk to your doctor.

These are some resources for insomnia:

• Healthy Sleep (https://openstax.org/l/gettingsleep), Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine

• Insomnia Treatment (https://openstax.org/l/insomniatreatment), American Association of Sleep Medicine

• Sleep Medicine (https://openstax.org/l/behaviroalsleepmedicine), Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine

ANALYSIS QUESTION

Do you have a ritual to shut down your day and calm your mind? If yes, can you identify two ways to

improve upon your current ritual? If no, what three things can you put in place to prepare your body and

mind for a restorative night’s sleep?

11.3 Taking Care of Your Emotional Health

Estimated completion time: 16 minutes.

Questions to consider:

• What are some of the ways to tell if you are holding onto stress?

Access for free at openstax.org

11.3 • Taking Care of Your Emotional Health

• How do mindfulness and gratitude encourage emotional health?

Identifying and Managing Stress

According to a 2018 report from the American College Health Association, in a 12-month period 42 percent of

college students reported that they have felt so depressed it was difficult to function, and 63 percent reported

16

feeling overwhelming anxiety. Your ability to manage stress, maintain loving relationships, and rise to the

demands of school and work all impact your emotional health.

Stress is not always bad. In fact, some stress is helpful. Good stress is stress in amounts small enough to help

you meet daily challenges. It’s also a warning system that produces the fight-or-flight response, which

increases blood pressure and your heart rate so you can avoid a potentially life-threatening situation. Feeling

stressed can be perfectly normal, especially during exam time. It can motivate you to focus on your work, but

it can also become so overwhelming you can’t concentrate. It’s when stress is chronic (meaning you always feel

stressed) that it starts to damage your body.

What Chronic Stress Does to Your Body

Do you find it difficult to concentrate or complete your work? Are you frequently sick? Do you have regular

headaches? Are you more anxious, angry, or irritable than usual? Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying

awake? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you may be holding on to too much stress.

Stress that hangs around for weeks or months affects your ability to concentrate, makes you more accidentprone, increases your risk for heart disease, can weaken your immune system, disrupts your sleep, and can

17

cause fatigue, depression, and anxiety. To learn more about what stress does to your body, click here:

apa.org/helpcenter/stress.

Some people refer to the time we are living in as the age of overload. It’s easy to get worn down by social

media and the constant news cycle, and to be overwhelmed by too many choices. We live in a fast-paced,

always-on world with a lot of pressures. The military created the VUCA acronym for the world we currently live