Two of the most common causes of sleep disorders are anxiety and stress. Many studies indicate that about 24% to 36% of people who have insomnia also suffer from anxiety disorders. Feeling anxious not only can cause insomnia, but these two conditions might be complementary to each other.
For people who have anxiety interfering with their sleep can feel helpless at times. But, there are multiple treatments to help a person manage anxiety and insomnia symptoms and regain control of their sleep.
Do I have insomnia?
Every individual experiences symptoms of insomnia a little differently. For some people, it might manifest as an inability to sleep at night, while others might find themselves waking up early or in the middle of the night and unable to go back to sleep.
Some common symptoms of insomnia include:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Feeling fatigued after a good night’s rest
- Irritability or moodiness as a result of fatigue
- Unable to back to sleep after waking up early
- Trouble remembering things
- Difficulty concentrating
- Accidents or injuries because of being tired
Sometimes a stressful situation can cause you to experience insomnia for a short while. This type of insomnia usually only lasts from few days to few weeks. If you are experiencing insomnia symptoms for extended periods, then you have chronic insomnia, which might require medical attention.
Many different reasons might make a person face symptoms of insomnia, most prominent of which are anxiety and stress. Various medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also contribute to the development of insomnia, like drinking too much caffeine. It can also result from a side effect of some medicines.
How anxiety cause insomnia?
There are many ways in which the feeling of anxiety can disrupt sleeping patterns.
Usually, when it is quiet in the night, our mind starts to wonder about different possibilities. It can focus on things that might be bothering you in life or your fears about the unknown, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.
Additionally, several researchers think that because anxiety can cause you to have multiple false alarms of danger throughout the day, it can make you feel on edge at night. Thes episodes can make it hard to fall and stay asleep. Some people might also have a fear of falling asleep, a condition known as Somniphobia.
The fear of nightmares, sleep paralysis, and dying in sleep can lead to the development of stress and sleep loss. Somniphobia can cause extreme tiredness and hinder the functioning of everyday activities.
Can insomnia cause anxiety?
Insomnia and anxiety are complementary to each other. One condition feeds off the other. A person who has insomnia can become anxious about their lack of sleep and experience heightened stress levels. Studies conducted on teenagers found that sleep problems started almost one-third of the time before the onset of anxiety disorder.
The research found that the brains of those who have anxiety disorder look similar to those with sleeping problems. The sleep-deprived brain also produces large amounts of stress hormones such as cortisol, which can make a person feel more on edge.
Insomnia can start before the anxiety disorder, or it can make the anxiety symptoms worse. There is also a positive feedback loop among these two conditions. Having trouble sleeping can make you worried about not getting enough sleep, which can lead to anxiety, which, in turn, helps develop severe insomnia symptoms.
Why is insomnia treatment necessary?
You can seek help from a healthcare professional who will diagnose your condition and provide you with appropriate treatment. If you are already seeing a doctor regarding your anxiety, talk to them about your sleeping problems. The doctor you are already seeing will have a better understanding of your medical history and provide you with a better treatment.
Sleeping disorder can not only worsen the anxiety symptoms but also, adversity affects your overall health. It can increase the risk of health problems, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
Quality sleep is essential for maintaining a balance of physical and mental health. It can not only reduce anxiety but also help you feel relaxed, refreshed, and alert.
Where to find help for anxiety and insomnia?
You can seek help from a healthcare professional who will diagnose your condition and provide you with appropriate treatment. If you are already seeing a doctor regarding your anxiety, then talk to them about your sleeping problems. The doctor you are already seeing will have a better understanding of your medical history and can provide you a better treatment.
While anxiety can be a significant factor behind sleeping problems, still, the doctor will analyze you to rule out other possibilities, which can include:
- Physical illnesses: issues concerning blood vessels, stomach, thyroid, heart, brain, and lungs can also make it harder for you to fall asleep.
- Medications: various medications used for treating conditions like pain, asthma, and ADHD, can result in insomnia. Some antidepressants can also have sleeplessness as a side effect.
- Habit-forming substance: consuming alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and other drugs can also make it harder for a person to achieve quality sleep.
After ruling out these causes, the healthcare professional might ask you questions about your habits, especially at night. Watching TV or using a cell phone or laptop before going to sleep can also negatively impact sleep quality.
Activities like frequent traveling, eating late, working overnight or long hours, can also disturb the natural circadian rhythm, and makes it hard to fall asleep.
What treatments are available for anxiety and insomnia?
If the insomnia is a direct result of anxiety, then the doctor will likely suggest psychotherapy, medications, or both. The exact treatment varies among individuals and circumstances and according to the severity of the symptoms. The doctor can decide to treat anxiety and insomnia separately or at the same time.
The type of medication your doctor might recommend will be according to your health, age, and what kind of insomnia symptoms you are experiencing, and potential side effects of the medicine.
Following are some of the medications that help treat insomnia
- Sleep aids: drugs like Ambien (Zolpidem), Ambien CR (zolpidem ER), Sonata (Zaleplon), and Lunesta (eszopiclone) can help you fall asleep faster and make you stay asleep for longer.
- Benzodiazepine: This class of drugs like Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam) are also useful in the treatment of insomnia.
- Antidepressants: Desyrel (trazodone) and Sinequan (doxepin) can help you sleep better when taken in low doses.
- Melatonin-like medications: Rozerem (ramelteon) mimics a naturally occurring substance in the body, which helps control the sleep-wake cycle.
The doctor might also recommend therapy to help manage anxiety and insomnia symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most popular therapy for insomnia and anxiety.
A person can go through CBT in two different forms:
- Exposure therapy: in this therapy, the therapist exposes the person to the source of their anxiety in a controlled and safe way to help them overcome their fear. The procedure can take many forms. The therapist can ask the patient to confront their worries directly by imagining a particular situation or going to virtual reality experience. The therapist will also help you figure out how to relax and calm your anxiety in such circumstances.
- Cognitive restructuring: in this method, the therapist will work to target distorted thoughts, which may lead to anxiety or harmful behavior. They might ask you to think about the pros and cons of taking a particular action in a situation and help you think about new ways to explore your options.
What to do to improve sleep?
The best thing to do if you are experiencing difficulty sleeping is to visit a healthcare professional. Along with what the doctor recommends, you can follow these tips to improve your sleep quality:
- Doing meditation and deep breathing exercise can help you relax and makes you fall asleep faster.
- Regular exercise can improve the quality of sleep you are getting, and it is also beneficial for your overall mental and physical health.
- Try to make a sleep-wake schedule. Following a plan can make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep for longer.
- Limit screen-time before bed. Avoid watching tv, or using a cell phone or computer before going to bed.
- Make your bedroom more comfortable by arranging things in order and dimming or turning off the lights when you go to bed to calm and relax.
- Do not drink beverages like soda, coffee, or other caffeinated drinks late in the evening.
- Avoid eating late, and don’t eat foods lie cured meats, tomato sauce, or chocolate too late in the day to avoid heartburn, which can cause you discomfort.
- Using weighted blankets can also help some people safe soundly as they provide a sense of safety and security.
Is CBD helpful in treating insomnia?
Cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical present in Cannabis plants, can help treat anxiety and insomnia symptoms along with other issues. Various studies have been done on the CBD’s ability to treat insomnia and anxiety, and the results are somewhat positive.
In one study, researchers asked people with sleeping difficulties and anxiety to take CBD and then examined their sleep quality and anxious level over time. The anxiety symptoms improved in 79% of participants, and 67% of participants reported improved sleep quality after the first month. The symptoms of anxiety keep reducing over the next three months, but sleep quality only got better for the first two months and got worse in the third month.
Other studies found potential in CBD to treat insomnia and anxiety. They concluded that research in this area is not advanced enough and suggested that using these studies’ findings requires caution because they had mixed results.
The FDA also does not approve CBD for treating anxiety or insomnia; therefore, it does not regulate it. So, it is hard to find the drug with a label that tells how exactly how much CBD you are getting. There is also no standard dosage for using CBD, so you have to guess how much will work for your condition, which can be dangerous.
There is a need for more research and clinical trials to assert the viability of CBD as a tool for treating insomnia and anxiety. Until the FDA approves this drug, it is best to stay away from it and follow a healthcare professional’s recommendation for managing your anxiety symptoms and insomnia.