Sleep Anxiety: How anxiety affects sleep
Sleep is one of those things that you remember taking for granted as a kid and wishing you could have it back as an adult. The countless times you were forced to take a nap and didn’t want to but now you’d pay money for a nap! If only we had built in naptime at work or designated time to shut off all of our worries. Unfortunately, as adults, it’s not always that easy. Even if you have the time to take a nap, it doesn’t mean that you are free from worry and anxiety or able to fall asleep. You are sick of counting sheep, tossing and turning and watching the clock.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep is one of the most basic aspects of being human. You cannot escape it. You may need less of it to function than other people around you. But, if you are human there is no way around it, you need sleep to survive. Sleep allows for our bodies and minds to rest. Sleep impacts your physical health, ability to think, emotions and quality of life. Without sleep, you cannot survive.
How does anxiety affect sleep?
Anxiety and sleep are closely connected. When your anxiety is not under control or you have intrusive thoughts, it can disrupt your sleep. Common ways your sleep can be disrupted include: difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up in the middle of the night!
When you are anxious, your body goes into a “fight or flight” response. This causes an increase in arousal of the nervous system. As a result, your hearts races, muscles tense and mind fills with worry. This makes it pretty challenging to relax and fall asleep. Anxiety also increases the production of stress hormones including cortisol. Cortisol interferes with your natural sleep-wake cycle, disrupting the normal sleep pattern.
Do you ever lie awake at night, unable to turn off your thoughts? Anxiety can lead to racing thoughts and worry about future events. Racing thoughts difficult to quiet the mind and relax, which is necessary for sleep. Anxiety can also lead to nightmares, night sweats, and other physical symptoms that disrupt sleep. When you experience these symptoms, it can be hard not to worry about your sleep. Then, you can fall into a cycle of anxiety about falling asleep or staying asleep that can make your sleep even worse!
What is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene are practical tools that you can adopt into your daily life that are evidenced based to improve both your sleep patterns and quality of sleep. With any technique, it’s important that you practice sleep hygiene on a regular basis. It is unrealistic to think that you can go to the gym one or two times and get a six pack of abs. Therefore, it is unrealistic to think that you can practice these techniques one or two times and no longer have issues with sleep. It is also important to rule out any medical factors such as sleep apnea, sleep disorders or the impacts of medications.
5 ways to reduce anxiety before bed
Establish a consistent bedtime routine: Your body are constantly on the go throughout the day and can have a hard time shutting off at night. By creating a consistent bedtime routine, you can help signal to your body that it's time to wind down and prepare for sleep. You can decide what is part of your routine! Ideas include: reading a book, practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation, taking a warm bath, or engaging in a calming hobby. Activities should help you relax and unwind. They should not be stimulating like being on your phone/tv/computer or intense exercise close to bedtime.
Practice stress-reducing techniques: In order to fall asleep, a few things need to happen. Your mind has to be calm and your body needs to relax. Stress management practices ideas include: mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery.
Create a worry journal: When anxiety is keeping you up at night, start a worry journal. Take a moment before bed to jot down anything that is on your mind so you can release some of your worries and make it easier to relax.
Limit caffeine and alcohol intake: Caffeine is a stimulant that actually makes it harder to fall asleep! For some people, it can be enticing to drink alcohol before bed because it makes you feel tired. Alcohol actually disrupts the quality of your sleep so you are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night or not feel rested in the morning.
Create a calm sleep environment: Our environment has a huge impact on our anxiety and sleep. The best environments to sleep in are dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature. Do your best to remove distractions like cell phones and TV’s.
These are only 5 examples of sleep hygiene techniques for anxiety that you can use. Try one or two for a week and track what is and is not working. When you find a technique that works, stick with it! If you find a technique that doesn't work, try another!
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If you are interested in learning more about how anxiety affects sleep or more sleep hygiene techniques, schedule a free 15-minute consultation with our anxiety therapists. We are here to support you every step of the way!
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