Sleep anxiety disorder is part of a vicious sleepless cycle. Let us look at this vicious sleepless cycle – being able to fall asleep or being unable to stay asleep for long is what we refer to as insomnia; people who suffer from insomnia tend to get anxious as the time to sleep approaches as they are worried that they would be able to grab the required sleep; this anxiety in fact again contributes to losing sleep. This way, the cycle just keeps running with one symptoms affecting the other.
Overcoming Sleep Anxiety Disorder
Usually, people who suffer from chronic insomnia (long-term problem) are known to develop this anxiety disorder. But then again, not all people suffering from chronic insomnia develop this disorder. Sleep anxiety is a very big problem, and has to be dealt with immediately. But how does one escape a problem caused by a vicious cycle?
Before finding the answer to this question, let us look at the symptoms and causes of this disorder first.
Symptoms of Sleep Anxiety
Let us look at the symptoms-
- a disturbed sleep coupled with an inability to sleep
- frequent awakenings (sometimes, within seconds only) due to the circulating thoughts
- tension and anxiety about how to go about the next day in case you don’t get enough sleep
- dullness and tiredness
- nausea, acidity, headaches and breathing problems
Causes
Now that we have looked at the symptoms, let us look at the causes as well.
- depression
- previous traumatic experiences
- medication side-effects
- stress
- environmental conditions
Treating the Disorder
Now, let us look at how to resolve this problem of sleep anxiety disorder.
Try to induce positivity
As mentioned above, people are just scared if they will be able to sleep at all or not. First thing one has to do is to take these negative thoughts away from the mind. Even if you do think, keep telling yourself that these thoughts are only trivial and are in no way going to affect your sleep.
Stay relaxed
Once you are through your positive thought process, try relaxing the mind. While relaxing, do not think about anything. Soft music, deep breathing or meditating will help achieve the relaxing effect.
Exercise
Exercising exhausts the body. Not only that but, it also increases the blood flow. Both exhaustion and increased flow help stimulate a good sleep.
Eat cautiously
Sleep anxiety can also be a resultant of problems like heartburn or acidity. If you suffer from these problems, do not eat spicy or oily food before going to sleep.
