Anxiety and Insomnia – Is Anxiety Robbing You of Sleep?
Do you find yourself unable to sleep because anxiety keeps you awake at night? A lot of people find themselves deprived of sleep because of the worries that fill their thoughts in the middle of the night. Anxiety thoughts can become more elaborate at night and can cause you sleepless nights.
We can use distraction techniques during the day to avoid thinking or facing our fears and concerns that cause anxiety. At night, when we are left alone with our thoughts, we are confronted by “our demons” so to speak. Especially for people who live by themselves or in isolation, nighttime becomes a particularly stressful time of the day when sleep doesn’t come too easily and one is left to think of negative thoughts in the dark.
It has been proven that the stress hormone, cortisol is found in elevated amounts with people who suffer from psychological disorders, such as depression or anxiety. People suffering from chronic insomnia also display high levels of cortisol. This establishes the fact that changes in our hormonal make up or body chemistry can affect our body functions, which include the ability to sleep and can disrupt our mental and emotional stability.
When you go to bed filled with anxious thoughts, you will just end up tossing and turning for hours. You will find yourself even thinking that tomorrow will turn out to be a rotten day, simply because you’re not getting enough sleep. Psychoanalysts call this process “catastrophizing” or thinking of the worst scenario that only creates more anxiety.
Catastrophizing comes with a distortion of facts and literally thinking that one is powerless to change what one thinks is about to happen. Images of impending doom and disaster, can add to one’s anxiety which results to a more difficult time sleeping. It is a vicious cycle that sure enough leads to disaster the next day, because the ability to think and to react to stimuli can be weakened by sleep deprivation. It then creates a self-fulfilling prophecy and the cycle gets repeated, unless the person finds a way to manage anxieties and sleep deprivation properly.
Stop letting anxiety keep you from getting enough sleep! One thing that most experts would recommend if you are faced by anxiety in the middle of the night is simply not to stay in bed waiting for sleep to come to you. Most often, sleep does not come too quickly and you end up feeling tired and even more anxious. You should try to do something like read a book, do your crafts or even bake a cake until you feel totally sleepy. Drink a glass of milk, do light stretching or take a short walk before going back to bed. It also helps to make a do-list of the things you need to do the next day, because sometimes the anxiety is only caused by what you think is tomorrow’s overwhelming schedule. It helps to put everything in writing and see how you can simplify your day to make it less stressful.
Being deprived of sleep due to anxiety also presents health risks because the body is not getting the rest it needs. If nothing else works and you are still losing sleep because of anxiety, it’s time to consult a professional health caregiver (either a medical doctor or a psychotherapist) as you may already be experiencing a disorder that needs to be addressed properly. Anxiety disorder is a serious medical issue and if left untreated can lead to other ailments such as depression.
