Are you stressed? Everyone usually has some sort of stress. Young and old, rich or poor, it really doesn’t matter your situation or circumstances. Just about everyone feels some measure of anxiety, stress or worry. But how are anxiety and sleep disorders related? You might think that the answer is obvious since anxiety often keeps one up at night and can awaken a person from sleep, but in reality the problem actually goes much deeper than that. It’s important to understand the connection between anxiety and sleep disorders since sleep is so vitally important to one’s health and a lack of it can lead to a host of problems.
As said, one obvious connection between anxiety and sleep disorders is that people have a hard time getting to sleep when they’re anxious or worried. But why is this? People still manage to eat, shower, go to work, and so many other things when they’re worried. Why is sleep so vulnerable? One connection between anxiety and sleep disorders is that when a person crawls into bed at night, this might be the only time they really have to think about what they choose to think about. During the day the brain is distracted by everyday chores and distractions. But at night a person can start to think about their worries; this is good if that thinking is part of problem solving and part of considering how to fix or address those problems. Typically however a person just lays in bed staring at the ceiling, assuming the worst about their situation. So anxiety and sleep disorders are often connected because this thinking the do is not positive and does not accomplish anything except to perhaps even magnify the situation.
Another reason that anxiety and sleep disorders are connected is that worries and concerns often make a person feel helpless and trapped. These feelings lead to a type of anxiety that makes it difficult to rest and relax in order to fall asleep. The body has a hard time falling asleep when it feels jittery and edgy and anxiety produces these feelings in abundance. This feeling of helplessness is a big part of anxiety and sleep disorders and typically needs to be addressed before anyone can get to sleep and stay asleep.
One way to address these connections between anxiety and sleep disorders is to tackle problems head-on. By making short-term goals and then a plan on how to achieve them, this feeling of helplessness can be somewhat abated. Problems may not disappear immediately but a person can feel more positive and therefore more relaxed. Short-term goals are important when it comes to alleviating anxiety and sleep disorders as problems often seem too big to fix. But when broken down into short-term goals they’re much easier addressed. When a person is addressing their problems rather than letting them overwhelm their thoughts, they’re much less likely to have those problems interrupt their sleep on a nightly basis.
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- Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders
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- How do anxiety disorders and personality disorders differ from an adjustment disorder?
