Anxious Sleeplessness

Does anxiety cause sleeplessness or does sleeplessness cause anxiety? This question is forever being debated by both mental health providers and researchers alike. What we know for sure if that for some people, symptoms of anxiety like excessive fear or worrying, feelings of panic, and restlessness can get worse in the evening, which can create a cycle of being unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. When this happens, people have a tendency to becoming anxious about having anxiety about sleeping! Sounds exhausting right?!

What Are You Telling Yourself?

When you are struggling with sleep, you may be thinking things like, “I am never going to sleep again! Am I going crazy? Why is this happening to me? If I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep I won’t be able to function tomorrow. No one else seems to be struggling with sleep, why me?” You don’t have to stay stuck in the endless cycle of worrying about your sleep! What if you could challenge and replace these negative thoughts about sleep with more helpful, hopeful, grace-filled statements that might actually lead to a decrease in your anxiety about sleeping or not sleeping?

Changing and Challenging Your Thought Patterns

This is were reframing (telling yourself a new or different story) can be incredibly helpful! Coping statements and reaffirming phrases can be used to challenging your negative thinking patterns surrounding sleep. To do this, you want to validate your feelings, state the facts, and reassure yourself that you are doing the best you can. For example, instead of telling yourself “I’ll never sleep again!” try…

• I may need to try to rest instead of sleep tonight.

• This is just a season, it will get better.

• It’s okay if I don’t sleep great tonight, I will be okay.

• I’m allowed to ask for help if I’m having trouble sleeping.

• It’s hard not sleeping and I’m handling it the best I can.

• I can plan to nap tomorrow if tonight doesn’t go well.

• I will sleep again even if it is not tonight.

Sleep is a vital part of our mental health and impacts every aspect of our day to day functioning! Please reach out for help if your struggle with sleep has become too much for you to manage alone!