How Does Anxiety Affect Sleep?

We have all had those nights where we can’t seem to get to sleep because our mind is racing. Maybe we are worrying about an upcoming work project, an important interview, or a significant family matter.

Feeling anxious can significantly impact your ability to sleep. It can also negatively influence your sleep quality when you eventually manage to drift off. Sleep deprivation can lead to more anxiety and worrying and can create a negative spiral that can be difficult to break free from.

Recognizing your anxieties is the first step to overcoming your sleeping troubles. In this article, we’re going to run through what anxiety is and how it can affect your sleep. We will also cover some top tips on how you can reduce your worries and sleep better.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry. Although it is a natural response to a stressful situation, chronic anxiety can lead to a lot of health conditions, including insomnia.

Symptoms of anxiety include nervousness, a feeling of impending doom, heavy breathing, increased heart rate, excessive sweating, and fatigue. Often, the symptoms are ongoing but can worsen when you are exposed to certain triggers.

How is Anxiety Related to Sleep?

There is a close link between insomnia and anxiety. People who are constantly worrying find that their anxiety makes it harder for them to fall asleep. They feel constantly fatigued due to their racing minds.

Even when people with anxiety manage to fall asleep, they might find that they wake up regularly throughout the night due to their worries and experience trouble getting back to sleep.  This can lead to sleep fragmentation, reducing both the quantity and quality of sleep.

There is a close connection between anxiety and sleep cycles.  Research shows that anxiety and excessive worrying can affect the amount of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep that you have each night. Since REM sleep is the part of the sleep cycle where dreams occur, anxiety can cause you to have disturbing dreams and night terrors.

How Can You Reduce Anxiety and Improve Sleep?

Anxiety is a complex mental health problem. Therefore, treating it can also be complicated and needs to be addressed on a very personal basis.

Practicing good sleep hygiene, including a relaxing bedtime routine, going to bed at the same time each night and getting up from bed at the same time each morning, and using your bedroom only for sleeping can help promote a more restful night.  Also, try to incorporate 30 minutes of physical activity into your day and limit caffeine and alcohol.

There are certain therapies and medications that can be used to target both insomnia and anxiety at the same time. You should always speak to a qualified doctor or healthcare professional who can run through the different treatment methods with you to determine the best option for your needs.