Anxiety and sleep deprivation share an antagonistic relationship with one another. People who suffer from severe anxiety disorders tend to have a difficult time falling and staying asleep. Likewise, those who suffer from chronic sleep deprivation have a higher likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder. Studies have shown that people who suffer from insomnia are at double the risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Furthermore, 70 to 80 percent of people who suffer from anxiety experience troubled sleeping patterns.
Furthermore, the Sleep Foundation notes that over 90% of people who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experience insomnia. One of the reasons mentioned is that people with severe anxiety or stress tend to lay awake in bed at night, ruminating about their concerns, which prevents them from falling asleep. The Sleep Foundation further notes that this pre-sleep rumination can affect rapid eye movement (REM) Sleep and can cause nightmares which can disrupt healthy sleeping patterns.
As noted by Eti Ben-Simon, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of neuroscience at the University of California: “Sleep loss triggers the same brain mechanisms that make us sensitive to anxiety to begin with–regions [of the brain] that support emotional processing and also regions that support emotion regulation.”
So, as we can see, this antagonistic relationship can exacerbate the issues of sleep deprivation and anxiety. Listed below are key points taken from a discussion with Dr. Matthew Walker to help those who suffer from anxiety to fall asleep quicker. Dr. Matthew Walker is the Founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Meditate to calm your mind before bed.
- List your concerns in a ‘worry journal’ one hour before trying to fall asleep.
- Don’t stay in bed if you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes
You can also check out our Science of Sleep section to learn tips and tricks to get better sleep!