Concerns
Sleep problems and stress
You fall asleep late, wake at three and lie there thinking, or wake up as tired as when you went to bed. Perhaps you have been told to slow down, try relaxation or take a sleeping pill. It helps for a night or two, and then you are back where you started.
You are not weak for not coping. Sleep and stress affect each other in both directions, and your body plays a part too, because blood sugar, iron and hormones all affect how you sleep. Many people who get in touch with us have been like this for months.
Does this sound familiar?
- You lie awake thinking, even though you are tired.
- You wake in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep.
- You have been told it is stress, but nobody has asked what is happening in your body.
- You have tried sleeping pills or melatonin without them really helping.
- You cannot do what you used to, and your evenings go on recovering.
Why is it so hard to get help?
Sleep problems and stress are often treated separately. You get advice on sleep habits or a tablet, but rarely someone who looks at the whole picture: what you eat, when you eat, what your day looks like and what your blood values say.
An ordinary doctor's appointment rarely has time for more than ruling out disease, and that is reasonable. But it means many people leave without understanding why they sleep badly.
With us, we go through both your sleep and your daily life, and we look at the values that can affect sleep, before we suggest anything.
What happens in the body when you are stressed?
When you are stressed, cortisol and adrenaline rise. That is useful for short periods, but if it continues, your daily rhythm shifts: cortisol stays high in the evening, when it should be falling so you can fall asleep.
Sleep becomes lighter and more broken, and the body does not have time to recover. Blood sugar dropping during the night, low iron stores and hormonal changes can also wake you, especially in the second half of the night.
What could be behind it?
We often find that it is not the stress itself that keeps people awake, but what comes with it: late meals, more coffee, less movement and evenings that never quite wind down.
Long-term stress
The body stays in a wound-up state, and the daily rhythm of cortisol can shift so that you feel alert in the evening and tired in the morning.
Read the guide: Hormone balance →Blood sugar
Blood sugar that drops during the night can help wake you, often between two and four.
Read the guide: Blood sugar and diabetes risk →Iron deficiency and restless legs
Low iron stores are linked to restless legs, which make it hard to fall asleep.
Read the guide: Iron deficiency →The menopause
Hot flushes and night sweats are one of the most common reasons women over 45 sleep worse.
Read the guide: Women's health →The thyroid
An overactive thyroid can cause palpitations, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.
Read the guide: Thyroid health →Sleep apnoea
Loud snoring, pauses in breathing and waking with a headache can be signs of sleep apnoea, which needs to be investigated by a doctor.
What you can do yourself
- Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, weekends included.
- Put screens away an hour before bed, and keep the bedroom cool and dark.
- Have no coffee after 2 pm, and be careful with alcohol in the evening. It makes sleep lighter.
- Eat dinner a few hours before bed, and avoid going to bed hungry.
- Move outside in daylight for a while every day.
- If you wake and your thoughts are racing, write them down and put the paper aside.
What we look at
Your sleep and your history
How you sleep, when the problems started, what is happening in your life right now and what you have already tried.
Evenings, food and daily life
Screens, caffeine, alcohol, when you eat and how much you move. Small changes here often make a big difference.
Tests with a purpose
We only suggest tests that could change the next step. For sleep problems and stress that often means cortisol, iron status, blood sugar, the thyroid and magnesium.
Tests that may be relevant
How it works
Four steps
- 01
Tell us about you
You fill in a health questionnaire about your symptoms, your sleep, what you eat and your daily life.
- 02
Take your blood test
You give a blood sample at a lab near you, in Stockholm or at any of more than 100 sampling locations across Sweden. We help you choose the tests that answer your questions.
- 03
Go through your results
You receive a personal health report and a session with one of our practitioners, and we make a plan together.
- 04
Follow up
We follow how you are getting on and adjust the plan. A new blood test after three to six months shows how your results have changed.
When to get medical help
Contact your health centre soon if you also have any of these:
- You snore loudly and stop breathing in your sleep, or fall asleep easily during the day.
- You have palpitations, chest pain or breathlessness.
- You have not been able to sleep properly for several weeks and it is affecting your work or relationships.
- You feel low or have thoughts of harming yourself. Call Mind Självmordslinjen on 90101, or 112 in an emergency.
Call 112 in an emergency. Call 1177 for advice on where to get care.
Frequently asked questions
Can stress cause physical symptoms?
Yes. Long-term stress can cause tension in the neck and shoulders, headaches, stomach problems, palpitations and dizziness. If the symptoms are new or severe, have them checked by a doctor.
Can you measure stress with a blood test?
Not directly. Cortisol in the blood shows a single moment, and the value varies a lot over the day. It can still be worth measuring alongside iron, blood sugar and the thyroid to see whether something in your body is contributing.
Why do I wake up at three in the morning?
It is common with stress, when the body is wound up and sleep is lighter in the second half of the night. Alcohol in the evening, falling blood sugar and hot flushes can also wake you at the same time. Many people we see recognise exactly that pattern.
Can the menopause cause sleep problems?
Yes. Hot flushes, night sweats and falling progesterone make poor sleep common from around 45. It is worth checking whether iron or the thyroid are also playing a part.
What is included in a Health Assessment?
A health questionnaire, a personal health report and a short session with one of our practitioners. You add the blood test depending on what you want to look into, and we help you choose. If you have a long-term condition and want to find out whether your diet and lifestyle may be contributing, or you need a referral to our doctor, we also offer longer appointments.
Do I need a referral?
No. You book yourself, and the blood sample is taken at a lab near you. We have sampling locations in Stockholm and at more than 100 places across Sweden.
Would you like help understanding why you sleep badly? Read about the Health Assessment →
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Sources
Reviewed by
Wellth Team
Wellth
Our content is written and reviewed by Wellth, and fact-checked against peer-reviewed research and current Swedish clinical guidelines.
Learn more about our team →Important to know
Wellth does not diagnose or treat disease. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health, alongside the care you already have.
Our reports and sessions do not replace medical advice, and a test result should not be read as a diagnosis. We use both standard healthcare reference ranges and optimal ranges. A value can therefore be normal by healthcare standards and still fall outside the range associated with good health. That does not mean disease, but it can be a chance to act early.
Supplements are only recommended by a nutritional therapist as part of a consultation, never automatically from a test result.
If anything in your results needs to be looked at by a doctor, we will tell you clearly. Contact your healthcare provider if you are worried about your health. Call 1177 for advice, or 112 in an emergency.