How to Keep Anxiety from Disrupting Your Sleep

Usually, going to bed each night is a relief and offers rest from a busy day. However, if you have an anxiety disorder, bedtime might mean a long and miserable night of worry along with restless tossing and turning.

Sleep and anxiety are closely linked. When you have an anxiety disorder, it can be difficult to get a good night’s rest, and without enough sleep, the anxiety can become even worse. This can perpetuate a cycle that feels impossible to break. 

Because of that, Venice Sanchez, MD, and the rest of our team at Sydea Medical Practice in Newport Beach, California, want to give you some practical ways to manage your anxiety and improve your sleep in this month’s blog. 

The relationship between anxiety and sleep

One of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder is sleep disturbances, especially insomnia. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. When your brain is constantly in a state of worry or panic, these ruminations can often prevent you from relaxing enough to fall asleep or stay asleep. 

When anxiety has continually kept you from sleeping, it can increase a sense of dread around the inability to fall asleep, often known as sleep anxiety. Even if you do fall asleep, your sleep cycles are often disrupted, resulting in vivid nightmares and restless sleep. 

The lack of sleep and increased worry can exacerbate each other, leading to a rapid decline in your overall health and well-being. 

Overcoming anxiety for better sleep

Although there is no instant fix for the cycle of poor sleep and anxiety, implementing healthy sleep habits and learning to manage your anxiety during the day will promote better results in the long run. 

To help manage anxiety and regulate sleep cycles, practice these things during the day:

• Wake up at the same time every day
• Get some sunlight exposure for about 30 minutes each day
• Exercise each day, preferably in the afternoon or earlier
• Avoid caffeine, especially after noon
• Try not to nap during the day, especially for long periods or after 3pm
• Don’t drink alcohol or eat large meals late in the evening

When it’s time for sleep, practice these habits to promote enough good-quality rest:

• Unwind for an hour or two before bed by reading, listening to music, or meditating
• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Keep your bedroom dark and cool
• Avoid watching TV or using an electronic device in bed

If you aren’t able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of getting in bed or you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy.  

Seek expert-level anxiety treatment 

Finding effective strategies to manage your anxiety outside of its sleep impacts is important as well. If you’re currently on a treatment plan for your anxiety or don’t have one at all, our team is happy to evaluate your symptoms and tailor a treatment plan that works best for you.

To schedule an anxiety evaluation, simply call our office or use our online booking feature today.