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Sleep & Stress

3 questions answered about sleep & stress for people who work with their hands.

Your body is exhausted but your mind won't shut down. Or you sleep but wake up still tired. Sleep problems are epidemic in the trades because physical exhaustion doesn't guarantee good rest—and the stress of demanding work follows you home.

The Problem

Most tradesmen get 5-6 hours of fragmented sleep. They fall asleep fast from exhaustion but wake up at 3 AM with their mind racing about tomorrow's job. Or they work night shifts and can't adapt to sleeping during the day. Poor sleep compounds everything else—energy, recovery, pain tolerance.

What You'll Learn

Why being physically tired doesn't guarantee good sleep, how to wind down after a stressful shift, managing night shift sleep schedules, what actually helps with pain-related sleep disruption, and habits that improve sleep quality without requiring more hours in bed.

A drywaller named Louie lay in bed at 10 PM. His body was destroyed. His brain wouldn't shut up. "I'm exhausted," he told me. "Every muscle aches. But I stare at the ceiling for hours." This is one of the cruelest ironies of physical labor. The more you need sleep, the harder it is to get. Here's why—and what to do about it. ## The cortisol problem Physical stress and mental stress trigger the same hormone: cortisol. Cortisol is useful. It keeps you alert, mobilizes energy, and helps you p...

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A welder named Sheila worked the graveyard shift at a refinery. 11 PM to 7 AM. Her biggest enemy wasn't the work. It was the sun. "I'd get home at 8 AM, exhausted," she said. "Then the neighbors start mowing. Sun's blasting through my blinds. Can't sleep." Five hours of broken sleep. Every day. For three years. Here's how she fixed it. ## The darkness problem Your body's sleep drive is controlled by melatonin. Melatonin is suppressed by light—any light. Sheila had blackout curtains. They ...

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A sheet metal worker named Ronnie woke up 12 times a night. Not to use the bathroom. To roll over. "Every time I shifted position, my hip or my shoulder would scream," he said. "So I'd wake up, find a new position, fall back asleep. Repeat all night." He was getting maybe 4 hours of actual sleep. The rest was just lying in bed, suffering. Here's what was happening—and what finally helped. ## The pain-sleep cycle Pain and sleep have a vicious relationship. Pain makes it hard to sleep. Poor ...

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