How to Sleep With Anxiety
Anxiety and poor sleep create a vicious cycle. While anxiety can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, poor sleep quality often worsens anxiety.
Excess worry and anxiety keep you from falling asleep or sleeping soundly through the night. However, while you’re sleeping, several vital functions are occurring. These functions re-energize you and help you function well the next day. But a lack of sleep negatively impacts your mood, productivity, decision-making skills, and overall health, which can lead to increased anxiety.
De-stress
Try some relaxation techniques to calm your mind before bed. You could try breathing exercises, yoga, mindfulness meditation or even take an evening walk.
Try implementing these activities throughout the day as well. For example, meditate in the mornings and take a long walk during your lunch break. Practicing mindfulness and relaxation throughout the day may help with anxiety at night.
Create a Relaxing Environment
Research shows that darkness and a cool temperature have a relaxing effect on a person. Before you get into bed, ensure your lighting and temperature is ideal. According to The Sleep Foundation, 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18.3 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for sleep.
Consider a Sleep Routine
A sleep routine is something you do every night before bed which relaxes you and also signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep. This can be taking a bath, lighting a candle and listening to calming music, reading a book, doing some light stretching, whatever you enjoy and find relaxing.
Limit Alcohol and Caffeine Intake
Alcohol and caffeine can unfortunately worsen anxiety, and also tend to inhibit restful sleep. Instead of drinking that second cup of coffee in the morning, try drinking hot water with lemon or a cup of caffeine-free tea. Also, try to refrain from having more than one glass of alcohol in the evening.
Avoid Pondering Over Anxiety-Causing News
You may have an addiction to watching the news or scrolling through your newsfeed time and again. There is more bad news out there now more than ever, which can undoubtedly increase anxiety.
COVID-19 updates alone are enough to cause stress and keep you awake at night. If you tend to feel stressed after reading the news or even just discussing politics, avoid doing these things before bedtime.
Sleeping Solutions
If you have anxiety because of certain sleeping disorders, such as snoring or sleep apnea, consider a solution. With medical advancements and technological progress, there are some incredible solutions out there for any sleep problems.
Is snoring the issue you’re dealing with? Whether you snore or your partner does, investing in an effective snoring mouthpiece can be a game-changer when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.
Keep Gadgets Away
If you’re already suffering from anxiety, doomscrolling won’t help. The light that phones and laptops emit makes it difficult for your body to produce melatonin, which is the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. Instead, try reading a book, or close your eyes, light some scented candles and listen to slow, relaxing music.
Anxiety and stress are at an all-time high right now, and are also the leading causes of insomnia and sleeping disorders. If you suffer from anxiety, we recommend you reach out to a professional to find the treatments that will work best for you.
https://www.psycom.net/anxiety-and-sleep/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/tips-for-beating-anxiety-to-get-a-better-nights-sleep
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