Dr. Shripal Shrishrimal

Pennsylvania ranks the 22nd most stressed state, according to a WalletHub study published at the end of March.

Contributing to this percentage are average hours worked per week and the share of adults getting adequate sleep, where the state ranks 28th and seventh respectively, as well as ninth in the category of work-related stress and 23rd in health and safety-related stress.

Dr. Shripal Shrishrimal, the medical director for pulmonary medicine, sleep medicine and respiratory therapy at the Butler Health System, said that the most important part of managing stress is to find out the stressors.

“Stress plays an important role in sleep, sleep hygiene and your biological clock,” Shrishrimal said. “You don't want to stray too much from it. When someone is stressed, it affects your hormonal levels.”

In order to determine the most and least stressed states, WalletHub used four main topics: work-related stress, money-related stress, family-related stress and health and safety-related stress.

However, since the pandemic, the percentage of adults that have become more stressed because of work has increased. Receiving less than the suggested 6 to 8 hours of sleep has been shown to affect efficiency and work.

“The likelihood that people may miss things and the likelihood of them being able to give 100% at work is less,” Shrishrimal said.

Certain conditions, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, can cause a constant fatigue-like state that may impact one's work ethic.“Sleep disorders come in a broad spectrum, and sleep apnea is the biggest, but not diagnosed at the right time,” Shrishrimal said. “This is where we come into play in terms of a sleep specialist.”According to the Butler Health System, about 10% to 30% of adults have a difficult time receiving six to eight hours of sleep that the body requires each night. A contributing factor to the lack of sleep could be sleep disorders like insomnia, which can lead to irritability and poor concentration or memory.Another factor is technology. Shrishrimal said that the white light from screens disrupts the brain's ability to rest. Other activities to avoid before settling down are consuming caffeine, exercising and eating heavy meals 2 to 3 hours before sleeping.“It's important to maintain schedules and accept your biological clock,” Shrishrimal said. “If someone has a habit of sleeping 10 to 6, you don't want to keep changing it too much.”The Butler Health System provides services and care to help improve sleep patterns and quality of life.

Shrishrimal said that those who believe they may need to seek help for sleeping trouble should visit their primary care doctor or their family doctor, if the professionals think it can be handled on that level, before being recommended to specialists.“Unable to sleep, lack of sleep or the subjective feeling of not getting enough sleep are symptoms to consider seeking medical attention for,” Shrishrimal said.Recently renovated within the Butler Memorial Hospital is its Sleep Center, located in the hospital or with an in-home sleep study unit. This system monitors heartbeat, brain waves, eye and leg movement and breathing and oxygen levels by sensors connected to the body.“It is important to get a good history about your sleep pattern, and we go through all that when we get a patient observing sleep,” Shrishrimal said. “It's not one picture that fits all. Health problems vary by age.”For those who are looking to seek information regarding local sleep centers, they can visit their local family doctor or look online at the services provided at health system sites, such as the Butler Health System.