Nighttime Anxiety and Getting Your Z’sss Back -

Nighttime Anxiety and Getting Your Z’sss Back

As many of us are painfully aware, anxiety can be present any time of day or night. One would hope that we could at least experience peaceful rest once we fall asleep. To the frustration of a great many people, though, once something wakes us up, anxiety thinks it’s playtime.

One of the major issues in being unable to get back to sleep because of nighttime anxiety is that we have few distractions when we are lying in bed in the dark. We don’t have tasks on which to focus and there aren’t people and things around to occupy our thoughts. Sure, the mind frequently races with anxiety in the daytime, but having distractions does help divert our attention. At night, with fewer distractions, anxiety often runs more rampant.

Sometimes nighttime anxiety can be so disruptive that it affects sleep on a regular basis. Further, sometimes sleep is so elusive that it increases anxiety; there is often a relationship between anxiety and sleep issues.

During times of great stress, a person’s hormonal system is affected, so it can become common for people who are going through this to wake up at night and feel extreme anxiety. It can even be a battle to get back to sleep. Whatever is causing anxiety during the day, is likely to show up at night too.

Continuous sleep deprivation or insomnia, due to anxiety, can lead to more problems. Our hormonal and autonomic nervous systems are especially vulnerable to prolonged or repeated stress- the latter of which, if left untreated, can even lead to “a dysfunctional arousal state and pathological anxiety states.” For this reason, it is very important to manage stress and nip its effects in the bud. If not, it can cause chronic insomnia and even sleep deprivation- both of which will usher in a host of health problems. That’s bad news and is best avoided.

Not all people who have anxiety develop insomnia, and not all people who develop insomnia have anxiety. However, if you do experience insomnia, you should be careful of its harmful effects. For example, not getting adequate sleep can give rise to an array of health problems such as:

Increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Delayed wound healing
Reduced growth hormones
Deficits in working memory and attention
Depression
Uncontrollable or unwanted weight gain or weight loss

The following are tips for dealing with sleep anxiety. If done consistently, these will become good habits and serve as valuable tools to stay in control of anxiety.

Exercise: This is one of the most effective way to quickly lower stress hormones in the body and set off a cascade of biological processes that promote both physical and mental health. We are built to move, not sit for hours in front of a computer or TV.
Establish a consistent sleep cycle: Try to wake up and go to sleep at around the same time every night. This will help to establish your circadian rhythm, which is your body’s internal body clock for regulating a 24 – hour sleep cycle. Establishing this rhythm will train your body to fall asleep and wake up around the same time every day.
Develop a Nighttime Routine: For night anxiety that results in sleep problems, limit strenuous exercise to the morning or early afternoon and consider mentally soothing exercises like yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong. Some people find that reading a book helps – but that’s not the same as reading on your phone. Electronic devices give off a harsh, artificial light that can trick your body into staying up longer. Other things that might help you fall asleep include caffeine-free herbal teas. You may want to cut out caffeine afternoon as well.
Relax your mind/Meditate: Try to meditate or quiet your thoughts. Relaxation exercises, body scan activities, and guided meditation can help to quiet your thoughts and allow you to focus on your breathing. Meditation has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. It calms the mind and improves brain function- if practiced daily.
Turn off electronics: Sleep experts claim that for the best sleep, it is wise to unplug electronics at least one hour prior to going to sleep. Turn off your phone; don’t watch television; and don’t work on your iPad or laptop in bed.
Try to eat and drink lightly in the evening: Ideally, your evening meal should be the lightest one. If you plan to have a heavy dinner, try to eat it three or four hours before going to sleep. Eating filet mignon at 10:00. p.m. might be festive, but it may cause disturbances to your sleep. The same is true of drinking fluids which will lead to night waking and trips to the bathroom. Many people also turn to alcohol to help them sleep. Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but it makes it harder for you to stay asleep. It’s better to toss and turn for a bit longer and stay asleep all night than to fall asleep sooner and wake up too early.
Supplementation: Vitamin B12 has been proven beneficial for neurological functioning and is effective in treating mild anxiety. Vitamin deficiencies will manifest as irritability, memory impairment, depression, psychosis, and heart irregularities. You can also consider taking a natural sleep supplement, such as chamomile tea, magnesium, melatonin, valerian root, St John’s Wort or kava-kava, before bedtime. Discuss any supplements with your doctor beforehand to avoid any negative side effects.
Don’t go to sleep until you are tired: If you find yourself frustrated about not falling asleep, take a break and try again when you are more tired. Try reading a book or listening to quiet music until you feel ready to go into slumber mode.
Try not to take long naps: Taking a power nap (15 minutes of shut-eye) is okay, but long naps will disrupt your sleep-wake cycle.
Set the mood: Make your bedroom an atmosphere where your mind and body can relax. Turn off or dim the lights prior to going to sleep; make sure that you can’t hear excessive noise; and invest in a comfortable mattress and comforter.