How to Deal With Nighttime Anxiety
For some people, this happens like clockwork: during the day, their anxiety can be dealt with, but as soon as their head touches the pillow, all possible bad scenarios play out in their head. Falling asleep in this difficult year can be difficult , but it can seem impossible if you constantly let your worries take over your full attention. But you don’t have to lie awake all night, every night. This is how worry interferes with our sleep and how you can resist.
We previously discussed what anxiety affects your brain and what to do about it , how to stop worrying about not being able to sleep , and how you can get better sleep at night , but this video from people at DNews explains how your brain reacts to moments. anxiety, how these moments are triggered and what exactly happens when anxiety occurs during sleep.
Simply put, your body can trigger an anxiety-provoking stress response at any time without warning. Whether you sit and watch TV or sleep at night, our subconscious mind is really to blame for this heightened anxiety. When you face stress during your waking hours – whether it’s an approaching deadline for a large work project or the general state of the world in 2020 – your brain can mimic this pattern and send you into a stressful, panicky state even after you’ve been removed from the immediate stress factor. Final result? We wake up in the middle of the night after we have been able to relax, go through the stress of work or opponents of masks in line for you in the store.
However, when this happens at night, the problem multiplies and feeds on itself – you wake up worrying about one thing and then worry about not getting enough sleep , which makes you even more anxious, and the cycle continues all night, leaving you without rest.
So what can you do about it? Here are some strategies you can try to improve your chances of restful sleep.
Get up and get out of bed
We’ve mentioned this before , but you should only stay in bed if you’re going to sleep. You don’t want your brain to associate your bed with anything other than a sleep impulse, so if you suffer from insomnia, get up, sit in a chair, or move to another room.
Distracted
Try reading in low light , drinking a cup of warm milk (don’t drink anything with alcohol), or grabbing a snack (mind you, nothing heavy) while watching the traffic outside your window – whatever works for you. The idea is to distract yourself from negative thoughts or feelings that arise as a result of short-term panic attacks. We mentioned that noticing and describing things around you can be both meditative and calming, so you can try that as well.
Exercise throughout the day
Sure, it does take some planning ahead of time, but the National Sleep Foundation recommends exercising a little during the day to help you fall asleep at night. According to the NSF, even one moderate-intensity exercise, such as a brisk walk, can improve sleep in people with chronic insomnia.
Write a to-do list
If your anxiety is about what you need to do tomorrow or within a week, making a to-do list can help, according to NSF. Rather than letting your brain think of anything you’re afraid to forget, write them down so your brain can relax and give you some sleep.
Try to relax and stay relaxed
Easier said than done, of course, but the key to getting back to sleep is trying to relax , letting your anxiety or panic go slowly, and letting your mind and body return to a semi-normal state. Some people do this through meditation , which is always a good idea, but if that’s not your style, just finding a way to consciously relax is a good approach. Think about how to try a soothing sensor technology “having” or practice breathing techniques, relieves stress .
Resist the temptation to look at your watch
You may need to check the time several times, but try not to. Watching the clock, especially when it’s dark, when you’re alone and awake, can backfire and make you more stressed out from elusive time and sleep that keeps you awake.
Regardless of how you approach it, most methods of dealing with nighttime anxiety boil down to one of these methods. If you have time to take a mild sedative or melatonin pill and you still wake up in the morning (which you don’t want to do if you need to get up after about four hours), do so – just try not to rely on these pills. to sleep well .
As always, if you experience severe sleep problems during the night or wake up frequently in the middle of the night, you should consult your doctor or have a sleep test. There may be something else in the game that, after treatment, will open the door for you to a better night’s rest.
This story was originally published in December 2014 and has been updated on December 8, 2020 to provide current context and links to additional tips.