Anxiety and Sleep: How They Relate and What Helps Sleep

Anxiety and Sleep: How They Relate and What Helps Sleep

Are you one of those individuals with sleep problems who find themselves lying awake at night, battling an overactive mind filled with anxiety and racing thoughts? Surprisingly, you’re not alone. Many people experience anxiety, especially at night, which can significantly disrupt their sleep patterns. It may seem nonsensical, like this question, “What gives me anxiety helps them sleep at night?”. The lack of sleep and being fatigued reduces not only energy and mood levels but also cognitive function and the ability to think clearly. In this article, we will discuss remedies for sleep anxiety so you can get back to sleep and be your best.

Mind Racing Can’t Sleep Anxiety

The phenomenon of a racing mind causing sleeplessness is a common occurrence. You may have noticed that the thoughts that keep you awake at night are often related to worries or anxieties that you’ve experienced during the day. It’s also common to worry about previous events and regrets or future commitments and plans. Racing thoughts and your mind racing can cause sleep anxiety which doesn’t discriminate among gender, lifestyle, or age; and it doesn’t take a break! This “monkey mind” and mental agitation can make it difficult to clear your mind, relax, and fall asleep; leading to frustration and more anxiety.

Anxiety at Night Symptoms

Anxiety at night can manifest in various ways, making it challenging to get the rest you need. Some common symptoms include:

  • Restlessness: You may find yourself tossing and turning in bed, unable to settle down due to persistent thoughts and worries.
  • Excessive Worry: Anxiety can lead to rumination, where your mind obsessively dwells on problems or future events, making it impossible to relax.
  • Rapid Heartbeat: Anxiety can elevate your heart rate, making it harder to achieve a state of relaxation conducive to sleep.
  • Night Sweats: Anxiety can trigger physical symptoms like sweating, which can be uncomfortable and further disrupt sleep.
  • Muscle Tension: Anxiety can cause muscle tension throughout your body, leading to discomfort and sometimes even muscle pain. This physical tension can make it harder to relax into sleep.
  • Difficulty Breathing: Some individuals experience shortness of breath or a feeling of tightness in the chest due to anxiety, making it challenging to relax and fall asleep or stay asleep.

Waking Up with Anxiety in the Middle of the Night

It’s not uncommon for anxiety to interrupt your sleep in the middle of the night. You may suddenly wake up with racing thoughts, a quickened heartbeat, and a feeling of unease or dread. These thoughts and feelings can make it especially challenging to fall back asleep once you’re awake. Repeated awakenings due to anxiety can disrupt your sleep architecture, including your ability to progress through different sleep cycles. This can result in fragmented, poor-quality sleep and leave you feeling fatigued the next day.

Waking up from anxiety in the middle of the night can create a vicious cycle. The anxiety about sleep disruption can lead to increased stress, making it more likely to happen again in subsequent nights. It’s essential to address the underlying causes of nighttime anxiety and explore relaxation techniques or stress management strategies to improve sleep quality and overall well-being.

Can’t Sleep Because of Anxiety

If anxiety consistently prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep, it can lead to a continuous cycle of sleep deprivation and increased anxiety. Lack of sleep can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, creating a seemingly never-ending cycle that is difficult to break.

NuCalm: Managing Stress and Anxiety for Better Sleep

NuCalm Rescue, PowerNap, and FlowState is patented neuroscience technology that offers a reliable and predictable solution for individuals struggling with stress and anxiety-related sleep disturbances. It works by addressing the underlying stress and anxiety that can interfere with sleep.

NuCalm Rescue, PowerNap, and FlowState neuroacoustic software is designed to rapidly and predictably resolve stress, by disabling stress at its source, the midbrain, and guiding you to a balanced and relaxed physiological state. By resolving and continuously managing stress with regular use, NuCalm Rescue, PowerNap, and FlowState help quiet the racing mind, alleviate anxiety symptoms, and bring the mind and body into balance. With regular use, not only will you build stress resiliency, but you will also improve overall sleep quality (easier to fall and stay asleep, wake feeling more refreshed, spend more time in deep and REM sleep stages, and sleep longer).

If you’ve ever wondered about the role of stress and anxiety and how it relates to sleep at night, then now you know how interconnected and dependent they are on each other. Outside of some extreme circumstances with drugs, life events, and medical conditions; it is almost impossible to have one without the other. Effectively managing stress and anxiety will not only help you sleep better at night, but it will also help to boost your immunity, energy, and mood, and improve your overall health and wellness. What are you waiting for? Sign up for NuCalm’s 7-day free trial today!

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