Do you suffer from nighttime anxiety?

Yes, when night comes negative thoughts and worries prevent you from relaxing and falling asleep; And in addition, you remain in a state of nervousness, worry and unease, it is very likely that you suffer from nighttime anxiety.

Nighttime anxiety is one of the most common causes of insomnia, and consists of the activation of the body just at the moment in which we seek rest. In these cases, fear takes over the person who suffers from it and their rest is affected by difficulties falling asleep and constant awakenings during the night.

Generally, insomnia due to anxiety impairs proper functioning during the day. So people who suffer from it have difficulty concentrating, lack energy, are more irritable and are more vulnerable to daily stress. In the long term, these manifestations can lead to more severe conditions that include physical health problems.

Therefore, it is pertinent to know what the most common causes are, their symptoms and how to overcome it. Let’s delve into it.

Causes of night anxiety

Anxiety knows no schedule, and if it prevents you from getting a good night’s rest, It is pertinent to know what is causing it and prevent it from continuing to wreak havoc.. In this sense, we should not underestimate it, since its poorly channeled energy can accumulate and cause us many problems.

In general terms, The causes of anxiety are very varied and will depend on the circumstances of each person.. However, there are triggering aspects that are repeated in most cases, the most common being:

The concerns anticipated around finances, family, health, couples, work, etc. They represent the main causes of nocturnal anxiety. These are associated with fears about what could happen in the future, such as: fear of losing your job, possible breakups, or suffering from severe illnesses.The association of negative elements with the night. In this case, it is likely that unpleasant experiences (such as insomnia itself) are associated with the night. So a predisposition is created in the body that makes us feel more anxious.daily stress.Restless Leg Syndrome.

That said, it is pertinent to take into account a key aspect: At night, most of the problems we worry about cannot be solved. So, thinking about them only increases worry and activates our body, leaving us in an unfavorable state for acquiring sleep.

On the other hand, high levels of anxiety, accumulated and experienced during the day, mean that people most prone to anxiety cannot sleep. Given that Constant fatigue, poor daytime performance and the discomfort that all this entails lead to difficulties falling asleep. Thus creating a kind of vicious circle.

Symptoms of night anxiety

Anxiety disorders have so many ways of manifesting themselves that It is very difficult to make a systematic classification of symptoms.

For example, there is people who experience a lot of agitation, while others become paralyzed. Likewise, there are people who notice more anxiety in the morning, while others have panic when going to sleep.

Therefore, within the range of possible symptoms, the most common are:

TachycardiaDifficulty breathing or feeling of suffocationDizziness and/or vertigoTremorsChest pain, pressure, or discomfortFatigueNauseaShiveringExcessive sweating

Likewise, when anxiety takes control, It is common for us to perform compensatory behaviors that try to eliminate the emotion for a few moments. However, they are failed attempts, as the emotion “returns” to life with greater force.

For example, one of these behaviors that momentarily relieves anxiety and makes it return is “raid” the refrigerator at night.

For their part, anxiety symptoms at night are usually preceded by anxiety symptoms during the day.

Anxiety and somatic activation

Mariano Chóliz, from the University of Valencia, tries to explain the relationship between nocturnal anxiety and insomnia, using what is known as the “Monroe hypothesis” or somatic activation. Therefore, it is assumed that a high degree of activation of the body (arousal) impairs sleep in qualitative and quantitative terms. One of the disorders that causes this increase in arousal It is anxiety, hence its relationship with difficulties falling asleep is evident.

Chóliz considers the act of sleeping as a basic need, strongly vulnerable to psychological, physical or physiological variables. Hence, intrusive thoughts, worries, ruminations, anticipations about the future, etc. They are tremendously harmful to sleeping well.

How to deal with insomnia due to anxiety?

The most common thing is that people who suffer from this type of alterations look for substances or medications that allow them to be calmer and sleep better. However, we are rarely aware that Most cases of nighttime anxiety can be overcome through a series of guidelines.

Anxiety is highly linked to what we do, think and feel.. Therefore, depending on how we manage these three aspects during the moments before going to sleep, we will be calmer or more nervous.

First of all, we have to change harmful habits before sleeping. Once that is achieved, we have to learn to deal with daily worries and leave a space away from the night. Confronting concerns first thing in the day gives us a tighter focus and more time to solve them.

A good practice to achieve a pleasant sleep is to exercise a couple of hours before going to sleep, since the mind will keep us awake, but our body will be tired. This will help us achieve our dream more easily. It’s also important to avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks a couple of hours before bed.

If we wake up during the night, we have to try to keep our eyes closed and Think about the relaxing and satisfying feeling that sleep causes. lThe ideal against insomnia is to stop worrying about problems that we cannot solve from bed. Let’s not worry, free ourselves and sleep will come.

Guidelines to overcome nighttime anxiety

In addition to what has been said above, we recommend the following guidelines to confront nighttime anxiety:

Maintain consistent schedules. Insomnia and nighttime anxiety can also occur due to not having a defined schedule. Sleeping at the same time every day, with a difference of approximately 30 minutes, regulates our circadian rhythms, allowing natural, quality sleep to occur.Avoid overeating before going to bed. Food should be especially taken care of at night, as heavy meals can cause difficulties falling asleep.Create a pleasant environment before sleeping. We must take care of the space where we sleep: a comfortable pillow, a correct temperature, are factors that can cause poor quality sleep and can cause us to wake up in the middle of the night and then not be able to sleep properly.Use the bed only to sleep. Experts say that the room should be used for sleeping or having sexual relations if we want to sleep better, so they do not advise having the computer in this space of the house. In addition, Having the television nearby can be counterproductive, especially if we go to bed with the TV on.Practice relaxation exercises. Doing relaxation exercises seems to have a positive effect when it comes to combating anxiety, stress or insomnia.Take deep breaths. This exercise will allow us to focus our attention on our own breathing, thus preventing any thoughts from passing through that could make us nervous and prevent us from sleeping. Prohibit negative thoughts from entering before going to sleep. Don’t try to do it directly, do it by attracting thoughts that relax you and that in no case inspire you worry.

Insomnia is not a good companion. In fact, people with insomnia suffer a lot from this condition. A good rest is precisely one of the essential pieces that guarantee physical and mental health. Therefore, we should not neglect it.

When to go to a specialist?

When nighttime anxiety manifests itself constantly can affect the quality of life. In this case, the lack of a good rest can: worsen performance at work or school; cause health problems (such as hypertension, obesity, heart problems, weakened immune system, etc.); promote a state of constant irritability; etc

Therefore, if anxiety and insomnia are affecting your life in this way, it is important that you see a doctor or mental health specialist to get the necessary help. In many cases, the ideal treatment will be psychotherapy combined with medication.