How to Ease Nighttime Anxiety

Severe nighttime anxiety, when you are about to go to sleep, can be caused by stressful situations during the day, an anxiety disorder, or other health problems. Depending on the cause, the type of treatment may vary: medication, therapy, or lifestyle changes.

Anxiety is a natural human emotion that is accompanied by nervousness and worry. It occurs when stress persists for a long time, especially without a rational reason.

A person may experience anxiety due to various stressful situations in life. But when it persists for a long time and even causes insomnia, it can be a symptom of an anxiety disorder.

Let's try to figure out why I feel anxious at night and how to get rid of this problem.

Why does anxiety occur at night?

Feelings of anxiety can interfere not only during the day but also at night. According to Trusted Source research, insomnia can lead to feelings of anxiety. Also, the likelihood of poor sleep is much higher in people suffering from various mental disorders, including anxiety.

Therefore, effective treatment of nighttime anxiety and addressing sleep quality issues is a key to improving a person's quality of life.

Symptoms

Anxiety has many different symptoms. Everyone experiences anxiety in different ways. Symptoms can appear at any time. The most common are:

• nervousness and anxiety;
• Lack of concentration;
• problems falling asleep or staying asleep;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Another symptom common to people with anxiety is panic attacks. They are an episode of intense fear, often accompanied by physical symptoms. According to Trusted Source, they include:

• a feeling of imminent death;
• rapid heart rate, palpitations, and chest pain;
• shortness of breath and a lump in the throat;
• sweating, shivering, chills, and hot flashes;
• dizziness or fainting;
• feeling completely detached or as if everything is unreal.

Common nighttime symptoms

People often wake up from a panic attack at night. They have the same signs and symptoms as regular panic attacks, but they happen during deep sleep.

Studies show that 20 to 45% of people with panic disorder often experience nocturnal panic attacks. Such sleep anxiety happens for a variety of reasons, but during a panic attack, it is difficult for a person to calm down and fall back to sleep.

In many cases, nighttime anxiety causes insomnia, which leads to problems falling asleep and maintaining a good night's sleep.

As a result of chronic insomnia, a person experiences health problems, including

• high blood pressure;
• weakened immunity;
• mental illness, including depression;
• accidents.

Causes of nighttime anxiety

Anxiety disorders can occur for many reasons. Many people have a genetic predisposition to this problem, and it can be exacerbated by various stressful situations in life or experiences.

Anxiety can also occur as a result of taking various prescription medications, herbal tinctures, psychoactive substances, or trauma.

Also, anxiety at night can occur as a result of various diseases:

• heart problems
• hyperthyroidism
• diabetes
• chronic pain;
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome);
• brain tumors.

Anxiety and sleep

Sleep disorders and anxiety go hand in hand. Poor sleep can be associated with anxiety and vice versa, anxiety can lead to insomnia.

A person may experience rapid streams of thoughts that they cannot stop. They may think about the day's worries or the upcoming list of things to do. Such perceived stress releases a large portion of adrenaline into the bloodstream, making it difficult for a person to fall asleep.

According to surveys, approximately 24-36% of people who cannot sleep suffer from anxiety disorders. Researchers also conducted a survey and found that people with panic disorder are three times more likely to suffer from insomnia than people without the disease.

In 2016, Trusted Source conducted a study to identify the link between cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep quality in respondents with anxiety. Experts found that the quality of sleep, as well as latency (the period of time it takes to fall asleep), improved in people who had undergone CBT.

Experts believe that addressing sleep problems during anxiety treatment can yield positive results in the fight against insomnia.

Methods of treatment

If you experience a constant surge of anxiety when falling asleep, you need to choose the right treatment method, which may take some time. Therefore, it is important to consult a specialist if you do not know how to fall asleep with anxiety. Treatment methods consist of:

• treatment of various underlying diseases;
• the use of psychotherapy, such as CBT;
• taking antidepressants and benzodiazepines;
• taking herbal tinctures, such as ginseng, lavender, saffron, or kava, which help reduce anxiety.
• using innovative approaches, such as muscimol, which is the active ingredient in red fly agaric and can help reduce anxiety.

But before taking herbal medications, you should consult your doctor to make sure they won't cause harm by interacting with other prescription medications. Easing anxiety can help prevent more serious conditions, such as depression.

Lifestyle recommendations

In order to relax and reduce nighttime anxiety, you need to change your lifestyle a bit. To do this, you can engage in various practices.

Meditation.

This is a mindfulness practice that, according to research, even after one session, gives positive results in reducing anxiety. With prolonged meditation, it will help to completely get rid of the problem. Meditating every night can significantly improve the quality of your sleep.

Deep breathing

This is a great way to reduce anxiety and relieve stress. When you take deep breaths, your heart rate slows down and your blood pressure decreases.

In case of a panic night attack, you need to take a deep breath several times to alleviate your condition.

Grounding.

Anxiety can cause episodic dissociation, so grounding is one way to stay grounded in reality. Grounding techniques include cognitive and sensory awareness. For example, you can touch an object or say the date of today out loud. Grounding yourself before bed will help you experience reality and fall asleep normally.

Make a to-do list

If one of the triggers of anxiety is worrying about upcoming tasks during the day, this condition can worsen at night. It is necessary to make a to-do list in advance to relieve the burden of anxiety.

Healthy sleep habits

The following habits can help reduce anxiety at night. When you feel comfortable and cozy in your bedroom, you can fall asleep quickly. There are many options that are suitable for good sleeping habits:

• Regular exercise

Every day, you need to do a set of simple exercises that will help you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep until the morning. If you have nighttime anxiety, exercising in the morning will help you sleep better at night, and doing daytime activities will help you fall asleep in the evening.

Trusted Source also conducted research that showed that physical activity has a positive effect on anxiety.

Active exercise also increases body temperature and heart rate, so intense exercise right before bed can disrupt the process of falling asleep. Therefore, it is necessary to find the optimal time for sports.

• Create a sleep schedule

This schedule will help you control your circadian clock. By maintaining a certain wake-up and bedtime, you can normalize your lifestyle and nighttime sleep.

• Avoid stimulants before bedtime

Caffeine and other stimulants can increase anxiety symptoms and make it harder to fall asleep, as they put the body into an active phase. Alcoholic beverages can also disrupt sleep, even though they are not stimulants.

• Turn off electrical appliances

Before going to bed, you should stop using phones and other electrical appliances. In 2017, Trusted Source conducted a study and found that in 350 adult respondents, the use of electronics before bed was only related to the amount of time it took to fall asleep. The fact is that artificial blue light from electrical appliances can suppress the sleep hormone (melatonin), which in turn impairs the process of falling asleep.

• Create comfortable conditions for sleeping

You need to buy high-quality and comfortable bedding and things that will help you fall asleep with maximum comfort. The bedroom should be the safest place possible, which should be intended only for nighttime sleep. The greatest comfort will also help reduce nighttime anxiety.

When should I consult a specialist?

A constant feeling of anxiety that keeps you awake at night can negatively affect the quality of your daytime life. As a result of sleep deprivation, school performance, work performance, and relationships in family life can be affected.

If anxiety and poor sleep are having a negative impact on your life, you should seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist. Regardless of what type of disorder a specialist identifies (anxiety disorder, insomnia, or something else), it is important to take the first step towards getting rid of the problem.

Conclusion

There are many different reasons that can increase feelings of anxiety at night. Daily stress, poor lifestyle, addictions, and various physical illnesses can cause an increase in anxiety and contribute to nighttime panic attacks.

Today, there are many treatments available to help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. If you feel worried that nighttime anxiety and insomnia are interfering with your normal life, you need to start effective treatment.

And if you are interested in anxiety disorders such as monophobia, agoraphobia, or sociophobia, then we invite you to visit present-perfect.com to learn more about these conditions and how to overcome them. 

For more information on mental well-being and coping strategies, visit our website.