Nighttime Anxiety
Believe it or not, it is possible to have a relatively worry-free day when you struggle with anxiety. If you have nighttime anxiety, you may be well aware of this. You may know that all the worries you don’t address during the day like to come back to haunt you at night. Imagine that...your problems showing up just in time for you to not be able to solve them, at least not practically.
Your mind and body experience symptoms with nighttime anxiety that are not all that different from anxiety symptoms at other times of the day. Nighttime anxiety is not its own separate condition. And while there may be people who feel like they only get anxious around bedtime, it could mean that they are just functional or busy enough to overlook it temporarily.
Nevertheless, there are reasons why nighttime is one of the most common times that people experience anxiety.
Why do I get anxious at night?
Nighttime anxiety can strike if you are already anticipating the day ahead of you. Maybe you feel even more stressed because you didn’t even get through all of today’s to-do list. What you perceive as stress can trigger an adrenaline rush in your body, making it nearly impossible to fall asleep.
Chronic daytime stress can also contribute to nighttime anxiety. High stress levels during the day put your body and hormones into overdrive; namely, your adrenal system, which regulates your stress response and is directly linked to sleep.
Despite the cause or content of your thoughts, nighttime is when your racing mind thrives. When you lay your head down to rest and everything else is quiet, your worries and thoughts get louder. This can lead to a vicious cycle where a poor night’s sleep exhausts you the next day, causing stress and more anxiety, making it difficult to sleep all over again.
What symptoms should I look for?
Everyone experiences anxiety differently and at different times of the day, but the common symptoms don’t differ because of that. Apart from trouble falling or staying asleep, possible symptoms include:
Restlessness
Worry
Nervousness
Digestive problems
Panic attacks (which can cause you to experience a variety of other symptoms)
What should I do if I’m having trouble sleeping?
If your nighttime anxiety keeps you awake, develop a 30-minute bedtime routine to help calm your body and mind. Start this at the same time every night because it will train your body to get sleepy at that time consistently.
Before you do anything, put your phone away. It might be a reliable companion during the day, but between the blue light and notifications, it does more harm than good at night. Once you do that, consider incorporating some of the following into your routine:
Read
Take a hot bath or shower
Do gentle yoga stretches
Journal - jot down your thoughts and worries
Take a CBD or Melatonin gummy
Meditate (permission granted to use a phone for this - there are some great apps out there)
Try breathing techniques
Listen to calming music
As a final thought, don’t just reserve grounding activities like these for nighttime. As you can see, anxiety has a way of bleeding from our days into our nights and our nights into our days. This means that efforts we make during the day to manage anxiety will also have an impact.
If things do not begin to improve for you, reach out to a therapist for help.
Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as legal, financial, or medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional advice of your own attorney, accountant, physician, or financial advisor. Always check with your own physician, attorney, financial advisor, accountant, or other business or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
