Trouble falling asleep? Do nights seem to be the hardest time of your day? Sleep becoming harder and harder for you to catch hold of? You might just be struggling with the common sleeping disorders prevalent in the modern world scenario – Stress and Anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are connected with sleep in a number of ways. Sleep problems can cause stress / anxiety, and anxiety issues can cause sleep problems, creating a vicious cycle.
Sleep is the one last thing everyone looks forward to at night, however, for some, disturbed nights have become a part of their lifestyle. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), approximately 60 million Americans face sleeping disorders. After a long hard day or a weary vacation, rest is never assured for these particular people suffering from sleepless nights.
What is Anxiety?
The United States mentions anxiety as the most common mental disorder in their country. With the advent of global development, the advent of diseases, disorders, illnesses has dramatically increased. Anxiety is our body’s reaction to the stress of any kind, for e.g. the first day on the job, tackling a break-up, losing a loved one, strange circumstances, or anything similar.
Anxiety disorder brings forth a constant state of fear, worry, and nervousness. The symptoms of anxiety can persist from just a few minutes to as long as months depending upon the seriousness of the disorder in the patient.
It affects the emotional, social, mental, and physical well-being of the person dealing with the issue. Not just the mind but the body reacts to it and starts developing physical body issues to show signs of distress. Anxiety interrupts both personal and professional livelihoods and gradually makes it harder and harder to socialize and stay normal.
Anxiety and Sleep: A Catastrophic Combination
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADDA) conducted research that concluded - more than 50% of Americans with high anxiety levels had trouble falling asleep. Inordinate worrying, stress, overthinking, can easily lead to the darkness of anxiety which brings forward the irregularities in sleeping patterns.
Researches and experiments have led the medical sciences to believe that dealing with sleep issues may play a pivotal role in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Addressing the complex relationship of anxiety and sleep can prove wonders in balancing the volatile emotional and mental situations of mental health patients.
Insomnia, the medical term for people struggling to sleep in the night, is a common symptom of anxiety disorders. The nights, although hyperactive, seem to be tainted with worry and stress, which brings about anxiety. According to the doctors, mental health patients with OCD, PTSD, and anxiety struggle with sleeping disorders.
It is also seen that the prevalence of sleep disorders can instigate anxiety and stress over time, due to the lack of rest and calm.
Sleepaway Your Anxiety
Treating sleep first will help in treating anxiety and depression. Good sleep is essential for our mental well-being. Just one night of disturbed sleep can leave us feeling sad, cranky, worried, or flat the next day.
So it’s no surprise that sleeping problems like difficulty falling asleep, not getting enough sleep, or regularly disrupted sleep patterns are associated with anxiety and depression.
The good news is we have effective interventions for many sleep problems like Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been highly useful in helping with the negative thoughts, worry, stress, and even irregular sleep patterns that come along with anxiety. While it may not be foolproof, it has come out to be extremely beneficial for most patients.
Building healthy sleeping habits is a must to help out with your anxiety.
- Early to bed, Early to rise - Doctors suggest that there must be maintained a proper sleep schedule in which time must be of the essence. Getting to bed early and waking up just in time, can kickstart a progressive and productive day indeed.
- Avoid Your Caffeines and Intoxicants- Drinking alcohol or coffee or even a cold drink like coca-cola in the afternoons or evenings may hamper your sleeping patterns.
- Relax and Rejuvenate- It must be said that meditation and relaxation help in calming the jitters that your body may be facing. Tricks like deep breathing, grounding yourself, thinking positive thoughts, right before you sleep may help in clearing your mind of the stress.
- Body Healthy, Mind Healthy- Exercise regularly during the morning, and get ample daylight experience to give your body the Vitamin D it needs.
- Night-time Routine- Establish a night routine to calm the nerves and make your body acceptable and introduced you to a pattern of regularity. Listen to soothing tunes, do some light reading or create some light art, whatever that may calm you and make you sleepy enough. Before going to bed let yourself into all the light and positivity. If the sleep does not come in 20 minutes, get back to your routine, once you feel sleepy enough, your bed will welcome with a full night of stress-free happy sleep.
- Your Bedroom is Your Sanctuary- The bedroom is the most important part of your household, it should be cozy, calming, peaceful and light so that the sleep eventually makes its way back to you and shuts away the anxiety for good.
While these tricks may work differently for different people, using them might just solve your minor problems. The majority of them might need real help, but the cure starts from you. When the stresses of the day make you feel overwhelmed or anxious so that you can’t sleep, it may be time to invest in a different mattress. The right mattress will help you relax and unwind after a long day.
There are a number of mattresses that are designed to help provide you with anxiety relief. Check out Mancini's Sleepworld for Innerspring, Memory Foam, Hybrid and Gel mattresses from top brands made of the highest quality materials and with the best craftsmanship. We even offer same-day delivery! To learn more, contact us or call 800-647-5337 today!
So get up and get to work, anxiety and irregular sleep might be hard to separate, might be hard to get rid of, but a step in the right direction is what really matters.