Insomnia is a symptom that manifests itself in almost all types of anxiety that exist and that, in addition to the difficulty in falling asleep and the inability to enjoy a restful sleep, has very harmful effects on people in their daily lives, affecting severely to their quality of life and their personal and work relationships. Insomnia and anxiety tend to feed each other, since this inability to sleep makes us even more nervous and, unintentionally, we cause the body to enter a greater state of tension, thus exacerbating the symptoms of anxiety. In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to explain what the relationship between these two conditions is like and what measures and techniques we can put into practice to achieve overcome insomnia due to anxiety. Continue reading!
Insomnia and nighttime anxiety
It is the inability or difficulty to fall asleep and enjoy a good night’s rest. This sleep problem is a very common symptom in numerous psychological and psychiatric disorders, but in many cases it is caused by a state of stress, nerves or specific anxiety in the presence of some problem or important event in our lives. However, other times, insomnia can become a chronic condition if suffered for a long time and could be the result of a generalized anxiety disorder or another illness, so it will be advisable to see a doctor if the difficulty sleeping lasts for a long time. time and, in addition, is accompanied by anxiety symptoms during the course of the day.
Some of the anxiety symptoms that can harm the quality of sleep are those listed below:
- Excess tension
- Excessive worry about past events or events that are about to happen.
- Being overwhelmed by responsibilities.
- Feeling pressured.
- Muscle pains.
- Have catastrophic thoughts.
- Tachycardia.
The relationship between insomnia and anxiety creates a vicious circle and the two feed off each other. When you suffer from insomnia, the person usually anticipates the problem with sleep, which causes anxiety to increase and fear of not being able to sleep. Additionally, lack of sleep and fatigue that may be experienced the next day can also increase anxiety symptoms.
What to do if I have anxiety and can’t sleep
If you have been experiencing anxiety symptoms for a long time, including insomnia, and they do not go away or you feel that you cannot control the situation, it is important that you seek professional help and go to a psychologist to help you identify the origin of said anxiety and determine if you suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder or another disorder that requires specific psychological and pharmacological treatment. To be diagnosed with , according to the DSM-V, the affected person must present symptoms of anxiety, such as apprehension, muscle tension, and vegetative hyperactivity, on most days for several weeks in a row and persistent anxiety and uncontrollable worry for at least 6 months.
When you have anxiety at night and it makes it impossible for you to fall asleep and rest peacefully, there are a series of tips and measures what you can put into practice to overcome insomnia due to anxiety:
- Try to deal with them and in the event that you are in bed trying to sleep and you cannot fall asleep within a period of about 20 minutes, it is best to get up and do something else, such as walking, doing some activity. at home that does not involve much mental effort.
- keep some good sleep hygiene habits, trying to establish a fixed and regular sleep schedule. Always go to sleep at the same time and get up at the same time as well. If you create a rhythm of life and respect it as much as possible, you will help your body to carry out metabolic processes properly and ensure your state of health is optimal.
- Control the stimuli before going to sleep: avoid doing stimulating activities before going to bed such as watching television, using your cell phone, tablet or computer.
- Avoid taking naps during the day, as these can make your insomnia more pronounced at night and make it much harder for you to fall asleep.
- Make sure your bedroom is a good place to rest. Avoid noise, maintain a good temperature in the room and make sure it is dark so that light does not interfere with sleep.
- Avoid the consumption of stimulating and exciting substances, such as caffeine or alcohol.
- To do physical exercise It can help you combat insomnia due to anxiety, since practicing physical activity causes us to release endorphins, which will improve your mood and help you reduce stress and anxiety. However, it is important that you do not exercise in the last hours of the day, since on the contrary, you could activate your nervous system and make the act of falling asleep even more complicated.
- Light dinner and avoid large or very abundant meals at night. Try to eat healthy and balanced throughout the day.
- Do relaxation techniquessuch as , or practicing yoga, Pilates or mindfulness are excellent options to channel stress, achieve mental peace and, therefore, overcome insomnia due to anxiety.
- The breathing techniques They are also very useful in case of insomnia and nocturnal anxiety, as they can help you relax your entire body and prevent possible anxiety attacks. In addition, correct breathing habits ensure that the body receives the amount of oxygen it needs to function properly. We teach you how to learn these techniques in the article.
Remedies to combat insomnia due to anxiety
Relaxing infusions
One of the best natural remedies to overcome insomnia due to anxiety are infusions made with medicinal plants that have relaxing and sedative properties such as, for example, valerian, lime blossom, lemon balm, passionflower or chamomile.
You just have to prepare a well-charged infusion with some of these calming herbs and drink a cup before going to sleep, you will see how your body relaxes and you will be able to fall asleep more easily.
hot water bath
Another thing you can do to relax your body and mind and enjoy a restful sleep is to take a hot bath a few minutes before going to bed. These hot water baths increase body temperature and promote relaxation and sleep. You can enhance its relaxing effects if you add a few drops of lavender or rosemary essential oil the water.
Relaxing essential oils
In addition to adding them to the bath water, another good natural remedy to combat insomnia is to apply a few drops of a relaxing essential oil to the pillow you sleep on. He lavender or orange oilfor example, are perfect for helping us be less anxious, relax, and induce sleep.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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