Anxiety at Night - Causes and Treatment
Are you stuck in a vicious cycle of feeling tired, but unable to sleep?
By the time you finally get to bed at night after a long day, you are SO ready for a goods night's sleep. But if you are like most people, you have had those nights where you just can’t fall asleep no matter how tired you are. It’s frustrating and anxiety-provoking. The more anxious you get about not sleeping, the harder it is to fall asleep. You can get stuck in a vicious cycle.
Half of Americans say anxiety affects their ability to sleep.
If you have trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. Over half of Americas say that anxiety affects their ability to sleep at night. It sometimes seems as if once we go to bed, there is room and time for those racing thoughts to take over. You may also find that you are going through your list of to-do’s because you worry about not getting everything done, or anticipate doing things you don’t really look forward to. When you worry, it can produce adrenaline in your body which makes it even harder to sleep. Our Houston anxiety treatment therapists work with people everyday who are struggling to sleep.
You are most vulnerable to negative thinking at night.
In our tired moments late at night, our thoughts can often veer to the irrational, distorted, and negative. You may worry that co-workers are mad at you, or that you have forgotten to pay bills, or that something terrible that you can’t name is going to happen. The tired mind doesn’t account for reality, or facts, it just relies on negative feelings and catastrophizing thoughts. Don’t trust it. You are most vulnerable at night to negative thoughts. However, you almost always feel better in the morning when you have had a good night’s sleep and your mind has rested.
Steps to a better night’s sleep.
There is a lot you can do to make things better with poor sleep.
1- Good sleep hygiene
First I would focus on good sleep hygiene. I wrote about that in several other posts. Preparing your body for sleep by having a relaxing sleep routine can signal to the brain that it is time to slow things down.
2- Sleep Medicine
Second, there are medications and supplements that can help you fall asleep. Talk to your medical doctor about your options.
3- Decrease your anxiety at night
Third, work on decreasing your anxiety through therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a highly researched form of treatment for anxiety that can work quickly and effectively. If you need help changing your sleep habits or anxiety, this may be a great route for you. I would also recommend doing deep breathing, or meditation to help you decrease your anxiety.
4- Talk back to thoughts keeping you awake
Fourth, talk back to negative thoughts. If your thoughts are telling you that you don’t have time to get everything done, reply with “There is time enough for everything that matters.” Or if your voice is saying something terrible is going to happen to your kids, reply with “Just because I have a bad feeling, does not make it true.” In other words, don’t let negative, anxious thoughts get a foothold in your mind. Talk back to them and reassure your tired mind that everything is going to be okay and you are strong enough to handle whatever comes your way.
5- Be active when you can’t sleep
Finally, if you can’t sleep even after doing all of the above, just get up and do something for a half hour or an hour and then try getting back in bed and getting to sleep. Sometimes staying in bed worrying about not sleeping just makes it worse.
Houston Anxiety treatment can help you sleep better and feel calmer!
Get help when you need it.
You need sleep. When you sleep at night it restores your body and mind. Insomnia will affect every part of your life. If you are struggling with sleep, don’t wait to make changes. You will feel so much better when you can start getting a regular night’s sleep again.
We hope you find these resources helpful! If you are struggling with loneliness, conflict, or anxiety, speaking to a an anxiety treatment counselor in Houston can help.
The advice in this blog is not a substitute for professional counseling.
OTHER THERAPY SERVICES WE OFFER IN HOUSTON, TX
In addition to Anxiety Treatment, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals we offer Eating Disorder Counseling, School and College Counseling, Autism Therapy, Perinatal and Postpartum Treatment, and Infertility Counseling. As well as Child Therapy, Family Therapy, Parenting Counseling, Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling, Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, EMDR Therapy, and LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Career Counseling and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.
Contact us at Wilson Counseling to find out more about our services or to schedule an appointment. You can find out more about anxiety here. You don't have to go through this alone. We are in this together.