Sufficient rest is essential for maintaining your mental and physical health. But what if the way you sleep causes your stress levels to rise? Poor patterns can make you feel groggy and at odds with the world, and they can contribute to unease and chronic anxiety disorders.
Examining your sleeping patterns may lead to insights into their impact on your health and what you can do about it.
Can the way you sleep cause anxiety?
Sleep is an integral part of the brain’s repair method, and disrupting it can contribute to anxiety. The sleep state is when the mind processes emotions, regulates hormones and recovers from mental fatigue. Insufficient or poor sleeping patterns can cause the brain to struggle. Studies have shown that insomnia causes changes in the amygdala, which is the brain’s emotional center.
Feeling anxious when you wake may be due to your amygdala’s inability to function correctly. The fewer Zs you catch, the worse this problem becomes, resulting in anxious thinking.
Signs your sleep is harming your mental health
Consider these signs and how they reflect your mental state. It’s not only about how many hours you get — ideally, at least eight hours nightly — but when and how you rest.
● Sleeping at odd hours: Turning in and waking up at odd hours throws off your circadian rhythm’s delicate timing, causing sleep deprivation. Resting in snatched installments isn’t healthy.
● Waking frequently: Imagine settling in to watch a movie, but the power trips every few minutes. That’s similar to what happens to your brain when you wake frequently. It can’t relax and enjoy the show.
● Feeling tired despite sleeping: You think you’ve slept for eight hours but wake up feeling like a bus hit you. Poor night hygiene may affect rest quality. Factors like drinking caffeine before bed or sleeping in a room with the lights on contribute to restlessness.
● Struggling to fall asleep: Lying awake is frustrating and increases your anxiety levels as you devolve into negative thought spirals.
Can your sleep schedule cause anxiety?
The timing of when you sleep and how well you rest is directly responsible for mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. Worse still, it’s a vicious cycle where lacking sleep makes you anxious, furthering your insomnia.
The central and peripheral nervous systems operate on unique timing sets calibrated to natural phenomena like sunrise and sunset. Your body self-regulates to eat breakfast around 8 a.m., which ensures your clock lines up and helps you fall asleep at the appropriate time. When you disrupt that schedule, it causes a cascade of cortisol levels, increasing your stress and anxiety.
Improve your sleep and decrease anxiety
Boost the quality and timing of your sleep with healthy habits like:
● Sleeping and waking up at the same time.
● Creating a calming bedtime routine or ritual that helps you unwind.
● Limiting screen time and the blue light that disturbs sleep.
● Avoiding caffeine and heavy meals before bed.
Sleep help
You may benefit from working with a therapist if you’ve tried to improve your sleep habits and still struggle with insomnia and anxiety. Make rest a priority today.
