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Originally Posted On: https://mindhealing.online/is-anxiety-stopping-you-from-sleeping-try-these-tips
Night-time anxiety is very common. There are ways to deal with anxiety and get a good night’s sleep if you have trouble falling asleep.
If you lie in bed feeling worried, you might find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. If you’re tossing and turning in bed every night, you’re not the only one. Long-term sleep disorders affect more than 40 million people in the United States.
To feel your best, you must get a good night’s sleep. But when you beg your brain to stop thinking about things you don’t want to think about, it can feel overwhelming and cause anxiety.
There are ways to deal with stress at night so that you can sleep better.
Why do many people get anxious at night?
Night-time is the only time of day when things are quiet, the demands of the day start to slow down, and our chances to worry start to rise. These thoughts that repeat themselves make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.
How anxiety and sleep are related
A 2013 review of research suggests that anxiety may be a major factor in how well you sleep. If you get anxious often, it may be hard for you to sleep at night. If you have trouble falling asleep, you may start to feel anxious.
Several studies have found that sleep and anxiety are linked. This means that either issue can come first. But this needs more research to be sure.
An older review of studies from 2003 shows that both anxiety and sleep problems contribute to each other, which in turn causes both anxiety symptoms and sleep loss.
A more recent study from 2019 found that people who have trouble sleeping are more likely to get anxious when they are stressed.
Can anxiety cause sleeplessness?
Sleep problems are often a sign of anxiety-related disorders like generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A 2020 review of studies on sleep disturbances in PTSD and anxiety disorders found that there’s a link between sleep problems and anxiety. This means that sleep problems can lead to anxiety, and anxiety can make it hard to sleep.
People who have an anxiety disorder often have trouble sleeping and waking up all the time, which can show up as insomnia.
An older study from 2003 found that 24% to 36% of people with insomnia also have anxiety.
How to handle anxiety at night
There are a few things you can do before bed to help you deal with night-time anxiety and sleep better:
- Regulate your breathing.
- Write down all your worries.
- Maintain a nightly routine.
- Try to focus your energy.
- Create a comfortable environment.
One of the best ways to feel calm is to work on your breathing.
By controlling your breath, you activate the “rest and digest” response, which is the opposite of the “fight or flight” response.
Breathwork, including diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, is one of the most important and effective ways to quickly relax the body.
Write down all your worries
Writing down your worries before you go to sleep each night can often help. We have ruminating thoughts when we keep going over and over things in our minds. Writing down our worries and to-dos can help us free up some space in our minds. Writing down anxious thoughts is a great way to separate from them. Many people also find the process itself to be relaxing, which may help them wind down and sleep better. Start a nightly journal where you write down your thoughts every night before you go to sleep.
Keep a bedtime routine
By sticking to a regular sleep schedule, you can get into the habit of sleeping well. If you can, try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time every night, even on the weekends. Try to avoid stimulating activities like watching TV and scrolling through social media, because TV and our phones can make it even harder to fall asleep. Also, try to avoid caffeine and smoking. These are stimulants, which can not only make you feel anxious but also keep you awake. You can also try adding things into your routine that help you slow down, like reading a book or listening to soothing music. It can often help to try to replicate the winddown routine you had as a child (if you had one).
Try to focus your mind.
If you want to stop worrying and racing thoughts, try to focus your mind on something you can imagine or something you can see or hear in your bedroom. Try focusing on the white noise of a sound machine or a soothing image, like the waves crashing on a beach or the wind blowing the trees. If you feel anxious or like you can’t sleep, try getting up and gently moving, like walking around or stretching, until you feel tired. It’s important to not watch TV or use screens.
Create a comfortable sleep environment
Having a comfortable place to sleep often means only using your bed or bedroom for rest and intimacy, like sleeping and sex. Try not to do things in your bedroom or bed that might keep you from sleeping, such as watching TV or working on a computer. Try sleeping in a quiet, cool, dark room with no noises or distractions. Make sure your mattress and pillows are both comfortable and supportive.
Consider sleeping with a weighted blanket.
Sleeping under a weighted blanket feels like getting a big hug, which is very relaxing for most people. The deep pressure therapy that these blankets provide has been shown to help ease anxiety.
Medical treatments for sleep and anxiety
There are treatments for both insomnia and anxiety. These choices include:
- Medication. Medication like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or benzodiazepines (BZDs) can help treat anxiety and may also treat the underlying causes of insomnia.
- Herbal remedies. Melatonin or valerian root may help.
- CBT stands for cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This kind of therapy can help you change behaviours that keep you awake.
- Mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Meditation, yoga, exercise, and massage therapy can all help with anxiety and sleep.
- Light Therapy. The mood and quality of your sleep may be helped by artificial light.
- Sleep restraint. This therapy shortens the amount of time a person spends in bed.
Healthcare professionals may suggest a combination of medication and therapy to treat both sleep problems and anxiety.
Let’s recap
Night-time anxiety is common because it’s the time of day when things start to slow down and get quiet. Some people feel more worried at this time.
Several studies have found that sleep and anxiety are connected in both directions, which means that they both affect one another.
If you have a lot of anxiety, you may find it hard to sleep at night. And if you have trouble sleeping, you may also get anxiety.
Studies have also shown that if you have trouble sleeping, you are more likely to have anxiety.
If you have trouble sleeping because of anxiety, you can:
- practise controlling your breath
- jot down your thoughts and worries
- make a nightly bedtime routine
- Learn to concentrate your thoughts.
- create a cosy, comfortable sleep environment
Anxiety at night is manageable and can be treated. If you think you have an anxiety disorder or sleep disorder, a mental health professional can help you.
