Sleep Or Stress, Which Came First? Tips to Lowering Cortisol Levels for Better Sleep

The Virtual Couch

Day is night, night is day! For most of us, we need a bit of a reason to get out of bed in the morning, whether it's heading to a job, getting the kids ready for school, or to head to an early exercise class at the gym, or meet a friend for breakfast. Unfortunately with the "shelter in place" order still in place, and social distancing the norm many people are finding themselves sleeping in later and later, which equates to staying up to the wee hours of the morning with almost no end in sight. What role does this play on our mental health? Is there a correlation between irregular sleep and common sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea? And what can we do to lower cortisol levels so we can have a more "normal" sleep schedule? Today Tony talks about irregular sleep patterns and then dives deep into the role of cortisol, the stress hormone, and how it affects sleep, and common sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, or perhaps how sleep affects the release of cortisol.

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Tony reviews Dr. Michael Breus' article from Psychologytoday.com "The Connection Between Cortisol and Sleep Disorders." https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/202004/the-connection-between-cortisol-and-sleep-disorders Dr. Michael Breus' ask "The Sleep Doctor" can be found at http://thesleepdoctor.com and he also references the website Neuroscientificallychallenged.com https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/glossary/hpa-axis

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This episode of The Virtual Couch is sponsored by Betterhelp.com/virtualcouch With the continuing “sheltering” rules that are spreading across the country PLEASE do not think that you can’t continue or begin therapy now. Betterhelp.com/virtualcouch can put you quickly in touch with licensed mental health professionals who can meet through text, email or videoconference often as soon as 24-48 hours. And if you use the link http://betterhelp.com/virtualcouch you will receive 10% off your first month of services. Please make your own mental health a priority, http://betterhelp.com/virtualcouch offers affordable counseling, and they even have sliding scale options if your budget is tight.

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Tony's new best selling book "He's a Porn Addict...Now What? An Expert and a Former Addict Answer Your Questions" is now available on Kindle. https://amzn.to/38mauBo

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Tony Overbay, is the co-author of "He's a Porn Addict...Now What? An Expert and a Former Addict Answer Your Questions" now available on Amazon https://amzn.to/33fk0U4. The book debuted in the number 1 spot in the Sexual Health Recovery category and remains there as the time of this record. The book has received numerous positive reviews from professionals in the mental health and recovery fields.

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You can learn more about Tony's pornography recovery program The Path Back by visiting http://pathbackrecovery.com And visit http://tonyoverbay.com and sign up to receive updates on upcoming programs, and podcasts.