You may not be afraid of monsters in the dark, but nighttime holds a terrifying peril for many people – insomnia. Symptoms relating to insomnia periodically affect a shocking 30% of people. Fortunately, the worst of your fears can be abated by regularly observing some simple recommendations from sleep experts.
Sleep disturbances are especially common for those with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), which affects about 1 in 20 people worldwide. Individuals with GAD experience hyperarousal, or an exaggerated activation of their fight-or-flight response even when there is no real threat. Physical (somatic) symptoms are also common, such as tense muscles.
Struggling to sleep can become a vicious cycle of anxiety, whether someone has a GAD diagnosis or not. When people are unable to fall or stay asleep, it can trigger a stress response; they become stressed about how the lack of sleep will affect them. This sleep anxiety makes it even more difficult to sleep, because the sympathetic nervous system (that fight-or-flight response) is activated. With your mind and body aroused, sleep is even further from reach and sleep anxiety grows. The key is to break out of this cycle of anxiety… but that is easier said than done!
Sleep anxiety and insomnia can lead to serious health concerns, and it is always a good idea to speak with a doctor if you are experiencing difficulties around sleep. Understanding the connection between sleep and anxiety can help explain symptoms, and create the best plan to address them. If you struggle with sleep anxiety, or just want to be proactive in preventing sleep disturbances, there are some things you can do to help ease your fear of the dark.
Keep a regular schedule.
Our brains are masters at picking up patterns. If you are consistent about going to bed throughout the week, the temporal cue will slowly become a habit and you will start to get more sleepy at your scheduled bedtime. Taking care of your body throughout the day will have its impact by evening, including getting in exercise and eating well throughout the day. These activities should be avoided by nighttime, however; having a wind-down period about an hour before bed is crucial. In this time heavy food, exercise, and electronics should be avoided because they will wake you back up.
Calm your mind and body.
Our minds and bodies are linked, so calming one affects the other. Racing thoughts and tense muscles are both common when trying and failing to sleep. There are a few short and long-term strategies to calm your mind and body; meditating, keeping a regular journal, taking a warm shower, doing deep breathing exercises, and practicing progressive muscle relaxation. Incorporating these into your nightly wind-down ritual will relax you physically and mentally, helping to ease sleep anxiety.
Set up your environment for success.
Along with the right mindset, having the right physical surroundings helps sleep. A dark room with little to no sound helps sleep by recreating the nighttime we evolved in. There is much research on the inhibiting effect of blue light on sleep, which is produced by electronic devices and artificial lights. This light mimics sunlight, signalling to your brain to become more alert. In your wind-down period before bed, limit electronic use or enable a blue-light filter feature. Reading by a dim lamp or e-reader that uses warm light will also help. And if you can’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, experts recommend getting out of bed. The more time we spend in bed doing activities besides sleep, the less our brains associate sleep with our beds. Best practice is to climb in bed when we are ready to sleep, and get out of it when sleep is over.
Insomnia is a common issue that many people face, and it can be frustrating to tackle. While almost a third of us struggle with sleep, those with GAD are especially likely to experience sleep disturbances as they are prone to the cycle of sleep anxiety. While this article suggested some strategies to improve sleep, the best strategies are the ones that will work for you – and may very well involve medical and mental health support. While you may fear the uncertainty of sleep lurking in the dark, you are far from alone and there is always help available!