The Link Between Anxiety and Insomnia

Sleep is an activity that takes up almost one-third of our time on earth. Sleep is something we all need, and something a lot of people struggle to get. Sleep may be affected by anxiety, depression, prescription drugs, medical conditions or the use of substances such as caffeine or nicotine. It can also be affected by the loss of a job or a loved one or any other factor causing stress.

Anxiety and insomnia are closely related to each other. Insomnia is an oft repeated phrase which means the inability to sleep for an extended period of time when one wants to do so. There are so many different causes for insomnia it often requires a 'shotgun' approach to treat lots of possible symptoms to make sure you get the one causing the problem.

Insomnia maybe divided into three stages: early, middle and late. Early insomnia is the most famous because it is the image we are most familiar with. It happens when we try to fall asleep, but can’t and end up tossing and turning in our beds instead. Middle insomnia is characterized by frequent waking up throughout the night. Late insomnia is when we constantly end up waking earlier than we want to. For instance, we end up waking up at 5 a.m., when we intended to wake up at 7 a.m.

Early insomnia is often caused by worrying, or contemplating on a subject that bothers us. The specific causes obviously differ from person to person. You could be worried about your taxes, a family dispute, politics, or even your pet gerbil! Regardless of the reason, the anxiety leading to insomnia is often of a ruminative nature. We keep returning to a topic that bothers us, and think about it over and again. It doesn’t matter if we can’t resolve the issue, we tend to constantly dwell on it nonetheless. Instead of ignoring the subject which causes us so much stress, we tend to think about it even more. This proves the close association between anxiety and insomnia.

In case of middle or late insomnia, it’s typical to be bothered by that nagging thought as soon as we wake up. This naturally leads to an increase in our level of stress. As a result, we become fully awake. Sometimes, a physiological response, like an increased heart rate, (as a result of anxiety) adds to our restlessness.

If you continue to suffer from either early, middle or late insomnia for a long period of time, and you can’t find an apparent or identifiable cause for it, then you might be suffering from an underlying depression, or anxiety syndrome. Thus the relationship between anxiety and insomnia is clear. If you think that this might be a possibility, then it would be a good idea to consult your doctor.

Check out the rest of the site for ways of treating or dealing with insomnia without relying upon medication. We’ll also consider how it is related to our lifestyle.