how anxiety affects sleep?
Asked by Anonymous
Answered
04/21/2021
There are so many things that keep us up at night. The majority of them usually stem from the racing thoughts in our heads. The racing thoughts cause excessive worry and fear when struggling with anxiety, making it impossible to fall and stay asleep. When we lay down and put our mind and body at rest, we expect our thoughts to be at rest as well. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and our brain continues to sort out and deal with the day's experiences. If this continues, it will lead to chronic sleep disturbance and insomnia.
SLEEP DISTURBANCE
Anxiety can cause exhaustion, meaning we feel tired during the day and night. The constant worrying does not always lead to no sleep; it often leads to poor sleep. We fall asleep, but we wake up several times throughout the night, and we toss and turn during our sleep. Poor sleep does not cause the typical tiredness we feel from time to time, it causes us to feel like we are in a fog, and every movement takes a conscious effort. The exhaustion makes us feel like we could fall asleep instantly, but we are unable. We have to function as though everything is fine even though nothing about us is fine. Exhaustion causes us not to think straight. We feel stressed, and it feels worse by the minute. Caffeine has no effect, and we miss our usual adrenaline rush. Every task feels like a marathon, even just taking a breath.
INSOMNIA
Anxiety is also the leading cause of insomnia, meaning no sleep at all. The worrying and fears can make it where we are not comfortable sleeping. We remain awake day and night, trying to work out the reasons for the anxiety. Attempts to fall asleep are denied. This lack of sleep also affects our daily functioning. It causes problems with our moods, eating patterns, relationships, and careers. Three or four nights without sleep can cause symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions.
The brain controls everything we do, and if it is not at rest, we can’t rest. The body has a limit on what it can withstand without rest and sleep. If anxiety is obstructing our sleep, it is vital to get help from a medical professional.
