Benefits Of Worry Time
- First, you put a name to the sources of stress.
- Second, you release worries from your mind.
- Third, you find ways that the stress can be relieved.
- Finally, you enjoy a sense of accomplishment when you tackle and review your tasks.
If thoughts related to the stress present themselves at night, you can respond by simply telling yourself, “I don’t need to think about this right now. Instead, I will think about it tomorrow during my scheduled worry time.”These affirming thoughts can shut down the stream of thoughts and allow you to get to sleep.
What Tests Help Confirm A Sleep Anxiety Diagnosis
In some cases, your provider may do a sleep study to find out if you have a sleep disorder. Also called polysomnography, a sleep study is a test where you stay overnight in a sleep lab. Your healthcare provider evaluates how your body works during sleep by checking your:
- Blood oxygen levels.
- Snoring or other noises you make during sleep.
Make The Bedroom Your Haven For Sleep
Its important to reserve the bedroom for sleep and make it a relaxing space. This means keeping it neat and furnishing it with colors and textures that you find soothing, rather than stimulating. Keep work materials, computers, and screens out of the bedroom.
Good sleep hygiene includes turning the temperature down in the bedroom and using shades or curtains to make it dark and help induce sleep. To avoid counting minutes and worrying about not having enough time to get the rest you need, keep alarms and clocks away from the bed.
Want more advice? Check out these 10 Tips for Falling Asleep Faster.
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What Causes Problems With Sleep
The things that affect our sleep differ for everyone. They can include:
- stresses or worries for example, issues with , or
- problems with where you sleep for example, if you sleep somewhere uncomfortable or you’re easily disturbed
- health conditions relating to sleep, also known as sleep disorders
- being a parent or carer
For more information about sleep disorders, see the Mental Health Foundation and Royal College of Psychiatrists websites, and our list of .
It’s not possible to relax if you don’t have anywhere comfortable and safe at night. This leads to not sleeping and worrying most of the night.
If problems with sleep are worrying you or affecting your day to day life, it’s a good idea to see a doctor who can give you a health check and help you access treatment and support. If you , you could take this to your appointment to show your doctor.
My sleep problems are more a case of bedtime procrastination than insomnia as such and, as a consequence, being too tired the next morning. I still haven’t found out what works for me as I can get to sleep once I do get to bed.
Rethink That Afternoon Coffee
A late day coffee or caffeinated beverage might power you through to the finish line, but its not going to help you wind down at night. Coffee, for all its focus-enhancing, energy-producing powers stimulates the nervous system. In already amped-up, stressed-out folks? Only more so. Coffee stays in the blood stream for about six to eight hours. And studies show that caffeine intake six hours before bed can lead to a poor nights sleep. Stick to decaf if you can.
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Dietary Supplements For Insomnia
There are many dietary and herbal supplements marketed for their sleep-promoting effects. Although they may be described as natural, be aware that sleep remedies can still have side effects and interfere with other medications or vitamins youre taking. For more information, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
While scientific evidence is still being gathered for alternative sleep remedies, you might find that some of them work wonderfully for you. The two supplements with the most evidence supporting their effectiveness for insomnia are melatonin and valerian.
- Melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that your body produces at night. Melatonin helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is also available as an over-the-counter supplement. While melatonin doesnt work for everyone, it may be an effective insomnia treatment for youespecially if youre an extreme night owl with a natural tendency to go to bed and get up much later than others.
- Valerian. Valerian is an herb with mild sedative effects that may help you sleep better. However, the quality of valerian supplements varies widely.
Switch Up Your Sleeping Position
Whether youre sleeping on your stomach, back, or side, it can be tough to switch from what youre comfortable with. If youre struggling to fall asleep, you might want to consider testing out a different sleeping position.
While over 55% of people sleep on their sides and 38% sleep on their backs, only 7% of the population are stomach sleepers. While theres no one-size-fits-all sleeping position, you can set yourself up for success by making sure you have the right type of pillow for your sleeping position.
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You Fuel Your Brain With Distressing News
If youre hooked on watching or reading the news, youre basically feeding your brain a steady diet of disturbing deaths, disasters, and divisive politics. Youre flooding your mind with toxic thoughts that activate the brains fear circuits, making you feel chronically anxious and afraid. Its hard to relax when youre constantly on edge and your brain is seeking out the next impending disaster around the corner.
Relaxation Rx: Limit your media consumption and subscribe to news outlets, such as the Good News Network, which specializes in highlighting the positive things that are happening in our world.
Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues cant wait. At Amen Clinics, were here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples.Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834or visit our contact page here.
Schedule Some Worry Time
Just as you schedule time to see friends or get a massage, do the same with your worries. Schedule 15 to 30 minutes a day, at least one to two hours before bed, to write down those worries. In addition, create at least one action item you can do to help deal with the issue. Thinking through those potential stressors earlier in the day should help ease how much you worry about them when your head hits the pillow, Chan says. Ideal sleep depends on creating routines and schedules, and this is no different, he says.
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How Could Mental Health Problems Affect My Sleep
If you live with a mental health problem, this could affect your sleep in lots of ways. For example:
- can cause racing or repetitive thoughts, and worries that keep you awake. You may also have while you’re trying to sleep.
- and can make you sleep more, including staying in bed for longer or sleeping more often. Depression can also cause insomnia.
- If you’ve gone through , this can cause , nightmares or night terrors that disturb your sleep. You might feel unsafe or uncomfortable in bed or in the dark.
- and may make it difficult to sleep. You may , or see things you find frightening or disturbing.
- often causes feelings of energy and elation, so you might not feel tired or want to sleep. Racing thoughts can also keep you awake and cause insomnia.
- can cause side effects including insomnia, disturbed sleep, nightmares and oversleeping. Stopping psychiatric drugs can also cause sleep problems.
Why Do They Happen
Although some think racing thoughts occur only among people with anxiety disorders, this isnt necessarily the case. Again, given the right situation, stress may contribute to racing thoughts for anyone, even those who do not identify as anxious.
You may notice that racing thoughts and insomnia increase in times of high levels of stress. For example, these symptoms are common following a job loss, divorce, moving, or the death of a loved one. In addition, your thoughts may relate to everyday stressors like work, financial, relationship, and health concerns.
No matter the cause, these thoughts can be very disruptive. As a result, you may need to make some intentional changes to resolve them.
Worrying may seem like something that is beyond your control, but in fact, there are some things you can do to manage your worries before bed.
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Reasons Why You Cant Sleep
If youre having trouble catching Zs, you might want to think about the root cause of your poor sleep struggles. Is it a physical issue, like being uncomfortably warm or having a backache? Or does it stem from mental stimulation like tech before bed, anxiety, or a big life change? Check out these common reasons for why youre struggling to fall asleep, and what to do when you cant get restful sleep.
Listen To Ambient Noise
Different ambient noises, like white, pink, or brown noise, can be helpful to ease sleep troubles. While white noise is often associated with sleep sounds, there are other types of noise that can be great for helping you get a better nights sleep.
- White noise: White noise encompasses all sound frequencies, creating a humming sound. Examples of white noise include a fan, TV static, air conditioner, or air purifier.
- Pink noise: Pink noise has a deeper sound frequency than white noise. Common pink noise examples include rainfall, wind, and rustling leaves.
- Brown noise: Brown noise is an even deeper frequency than pink or white noise. Brown noise examples include waterfalls and thunder.
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Channel Your Inner Yogi
Many people say yoga helps them sleep better. Try âchildâs poseâ at bedtime. Kneel on the floor with your big toes together. Separate your knees the width of your hips, and sink your chest to your thighs. Let your forehead touch the ground. Have hip or knee issues? Try âcorpse poseâ instead. Lie on your back, legs apart and arms relaxed at your sides. Exhale and feel yourself sink into the ground. Stay in either pose for 3-5 minutes.
Occupy Your Mind By Telling Yourself A Story Or Imagining A Scene
Telling yourself to not worry is like telling yourself to not think of a pink elephant. There it is! Instead of telling your mind what not to think about, give that excited puppy a different bone to gnaw on. Use your imagination. Create a scene as vividly as possible, with details for all five senses. Enjoy the story you create. If you cant think of a story, mentally decorate your dream house room by room on an unlimited budget. This will decrease your physiological arousal and help you to fall asleep.
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And Yes That Includes Light From Screens
Staring at bright screens in darkness with dilated pupils allows more quantities of light to enter the eyes, says Dr. Singh. And dont be fooled by blue-light filters or night modes: Dr. Singh cautions that, while these certainly do limit blue light, they still throw some light at your face, usually from a few inches away. If its dark, and youre looking at something that produces light, that light has an opportunity to get in and suppress your melatonin.
Limit Light In The Evenings
Just as light helps wind us up, lack of it helps power us down. Why? Less light equals more melatonin. So, once the sun as set, its important to avoid as much of it as you can to cycle back, especially after 6 or 7pm. No, this doesnt mean blanketing yourself in darkness once the sun goes down. It means limiting your exposure to harsh light from screens, lamps, and other such sources, particularly an hour before bedtime.
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Kick The Afternoon Caffeine
Although coffee is typically thought of as a morning beverage, many people grab another cup of joe for an afternoon pick-me-up. However, coffee can stay in your system for up to 10 hours meaning that 2 p.m. caffeine kick might be keeping you up past midnight.
If youre used to two or more caffeinated beverages each day, consider swapping your typical afternoon drink for a decaf version instead.
For Fast Sleep Short
1.Switch Off Your Devices
I can understand the pull of those IG reels but its time to set aside your smartphones and switch off your devices to ensure a good nights sleep. The stimulation from the electronic devices can excite your overexcited brain and make it harder for you to shut off your brain before bed.
Also, electronic devices emit blue light which can disrupt your circadian rhythm so even though youre tempted to scroll through one more reel or watch one more episode of your favorite K-drama, you should shut off your devices before bed.
2.Do Some PMR
PMR or Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a relaxation technique that can help you release the excessive tension in your body and relax into a restful sleep. PMR involves deliberately tensing your muscles and then gently releasing them one after another, starting with your facial muscles and ending with your toes.
Here is a guide for you on how to practice progressive muscle relaxation .
3.Focus On Deep Breathing
Slow down your breathing, slow down your mind. When you focus on your breathing, you will find yourself relaxing. With each deep breath, count so your focus doesnt shift. Keep your attention on the mindful activity of deep breathing if youre looking to shut your brain off before bed.
- Yogic breathing
4.ASMR Can Help
For a better ASMR experience, its recommended that you use headphones.
5.Make A To-Do List
You can also choose to journal your thoughts before bed to help your mind calm down and sleep better.
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Your Sympathetic Nervous System Is Stuck In Overdrive
Our sympathetic nervous system is the fight-or-flight response that makes us feel anxious and afraid. Our parasympathetic nervous system is the relaxation response that counterbalances the SNS and helps us calm down after a heart-pounding incident. When the nervous system is healthy, they work in concert to help us manage stress. Chronic stress or prolonged trauma, however, can interfere with the bodys relaxation mechanism. When trauma is severe or prolonged or it leads to post-traumatic stress disorder , the SNS can get stuck on, making you feel restless, anxious, panicky, hyperaroused, hypervigilant, or sleepless. If this is the case, even when you try to relax, you arent able to shake off those feelings.
Relaxation Rx: If the SNS is stuck on, calm it with meditation, prayer, hypnosis, guided imagery, diaphragmatic breathing, and calming supplements, such as GABA, magnesium, or theanine. For PTSD, therapeutic interventions such as EMDR may be helpful.
Get Your Rda Of Sunlight
Many people with ADHD have internal clocks that slightly are off, which may be causing them to fall asleep later and get up much later than most people. You can reset your internal clock by getting a dose of sunlight first thing in the morning. If getting outside in the morning is a challenge, use a light box, usually recommended for Seasonal Affective Disorder, for about 30 minutes each morning. Let the light shine indirectlynever directlytoward your eyes.
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How Can Healthier Sleep Habits Treat Sleep Anxiety
Sleep habits, or sleep hygiene, are your routines around bedtime that can affect your sleep. Your healthcare provider may ask you to keep a sleep diary for several weeks. This is a daily log of your sleep habits. It can help identify things that might make it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Some common ways to improve your sleep hygiene include:
- Avoid drinking lots of fluids before bed, especially alcohol.
- Do relaxing activities before bed, such as meditation or listening to soft, peaceful music.
- Dont consume caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
- Dont go to bed unless you feel sleepy.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
- If you dont fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed.
- Make sure your bedroom is comfortable, quiet and softly lit.
- Only use your bed for sleep and sex. For example, avoid watching television or doing work in bed.
- Set a goal of getting at least seven hours of sleep every night.
- Stop using electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Try not to eat right before bedtime. If youre hungry, have a light snack and not a big meal.
Cbti Can Help You Take Control Of Your Thoughts
These strategies, while effective on their own, are even more effective as part of a structured CBTi programme.5 If youâve tried multiple techniques and nothing has worked you may need support from an expert sleep team.
At Sleepstation, we developed a digital CBTi programme which has been clinically-validated and is highly effective at resolving insomnia. Weâve helped thousands of people to take back control of their sleep and our results speak for themselves.
So if you canât sleep at night due to overthinking, our sleep improvement programme can help you optimise your sleep for better health. Get started today.
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Set Up A Worry Time Before Bed
Heres a way to stop your mind from repetitively listing all the things you need to do , but it only works if you do it before you hit the sack.
Dont worry in bed. Schedule a worry time a period of time outside of the bedroom, outside of sleep, to worry about the things that naturally creep in your mind at night, said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
