Sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.
According to Dr. Maiken Nedergaard and her colleagues, the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep. “When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system". Furthermore, Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado writes that, "Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair" and continues, "There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”
Courtesy of NIH News in Health 2021 / 4 'Good Sleep for Good Health'
According to Sleep Foundation (sleepfoundation.org) healthy adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Babies, young children, and teens need even more sleep to enable their growth and development. Deciding how much sleep you need means considering your overall health, daily activities, and typical sleep patterns.
When you are getting poor quality and duration of sleep, your physical and mental health can suffer. You may experience:
When we experience situations in life that make us feel anxious, e.g., relationship or family issues, health concerns, grief, loss, work related problems, and more, it is not surprising that this can affect our usual sleep and eating routines. In fact, appetite loss and symptoms of insomnia are two highly common symptoms brought on by anxiety. When we're anxious a number of changes occur in our brains and bodies and these changes are known as the fight/flight response. Worrying and anxious thoughts create an adrenalin rush which triggers this response.
These changes affect the mind and body's ability to rest and sleep. In fact, when we're in fight or flight mode, that's the last thing it will want you to do!
So, anxiety can make it difficult for someone to rest, fall, and stay asleep, and can lead to Insomnia. Commonly, a cycle forms where anxiety leads to a lack of adequate sleep, and a lack of adequate sleep creates further anxiety.
Sleep anxiety is created when we have a fear or worry about not being able to fall asleep, stay asleep or fall back to sleep. Consequently, the sufferer becomes anxious they won't get the rest they need, and overthinking, intrusive thoughts and sleep stress can begin.
Sleep anxiety also occurs when we fear that something bad will happen while sleeping; also known as Somniphobia, so to avoid any perceived threat, a sufferer will try to stay awake.
Sleep Like a Log strongly recommends engaging in counselling if you have had an adverse or traumatic experience which could be triggering this anxiety.
Nighttime Anxiety is different from Sleep Anxiety, and although the symptoms are often the same, the root cause is different. Nighttime anxiety is caused by daily stressors and worries about, e.g., work, finances, relationships, health and family. These can lead to symptoms of anxiety and even panic, at bedtime.
When you can’t sleep due to anxiety, you may experience behavioral and psychological changes, including:
Physical effects of anxiety before bed can be:
Anxiety and sleep are closely connected. By improving the quality of your sleep, you can help with feelings of anxiety, and vice versa.
It's important to get help and support if you are experiencing sleep anxiety.
Book an appointment with your GP or healthcare provider to talk about your symptoms, so that the symptoms can be alleviated sooner rather than later.
There are also many things you can do to help reduce these symptoms yourself.
Please see below.
It is VITAL to remember that you should only go to bed when you are tired.
But if you are tired, and anxiety is stopping you from switching off, then try:
Also, before bed, avoid any activity which upsets you or maintains and provokes your anxiety and fight/flight mode. Try to avoid:
Lifestyle changes
During your day, there are many things you can do to help yourself reduce anxiety and improve sleep:
If you don't fall asleep
READ our SLEEP HYGIENE page...
If you continually struggle to get good quality sleep, book an appointment with your GP or healthcare provider. They will be able to decipher why this is happening and help you resolve any issues. They may ask you to keep a sleep diary for several weeks. This is a daily log of your sleep habits. It can help identify things that might make it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Click below to receive a FREE 14 NIGHT SLEEP LOG.
This printable pdf sleep log will help you track your sleep length and sleep quality.
Counselling can help you work through underlying issues that may be causing your anxiety. With the help of a professional, experienced counsellor, you will be able to start your journey towards resolving these issues.
In the UK, your GP can put you on a waiting list for a short-term, CBT therapist, or refer you to longer-term therapy through the NHS. However, due to long waiting times, you might like to source a private therapist (see links below).
Sleep Like a Log advises that if you find a private therapist, ask them to explain their therapeutic approach (the way in which they will help you) before you book in and start your sessions.
Make sure you understand how they will work with you and if they are a good fit!
For example: If you have past experiences, e.g., abuse, trauma or family dysfunction, that you need longer-term help and support with, and need time to talk about, then we advise you find a psychodynamic or pluralistic therapist.
If however, you are simply looking for tools, tips and coping mechanisms to help you manage your current anxiety, then a short-term CBT therapist would be suitable. Research your counsellor and make sure you find someone you can work well with.
Links to Private Therapist Directories
Find a Counsellor in UK:
BACP: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/using-our-therapist-directory/
UKCP: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/find-a-therapist/
Find a Psychotherapist in the US:
Find a Counsellor in Canada:
Good Therapy: https://www.goodtherapy.org/therapists/canada
We have collated a list of interesting research, blogs & articles about sleepy issues
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