Stress and sleep are inextricably intertwined. Stress can have a negative impact on sleep quality and duration, while sleep deprivation can raise stress levels. Both stress and a lack of sleep can result in long-term physical and mental health issues. When you're under stress, your body releases cortisol into the blood stream. This is a normal reaction designed to help you deal with danger or challenge. However, when you're exposed to stressors over time, high levels of cortisol can lead to insomnia, depression, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Sleep helps your body process all the information that has been giving you headaches (no pun intended!). When you don't get enough sleep, this information gets stored in the form of stress hormones. Eventually, these low-level emotions cause problems that affect your day-to-day life: irritability, anxiety, and poor decision making being just a few examples. Not getting enough sleep can also lead to weight gain due to increased appetite and decreased activity caused by stress. It's important to manage stress so it doesn't build up and cause serious health issues. Finding ways to reduce stress in your daily life may help you get better sleep at night. For example: exercising, talking with friends, taking hot showers, etc. cannot cure insomnia or other sleep disorders, but they can help you deal with those problems when they arise.