These symptoms usually appear simultaneously.
However, this reality collides with another very common in our time: our way of life in Western culture countries constantly exposes us to anxiety, especially because of the burden of responsibilities, the disappearance of the line between life personal and professional life and the bombardment of information that we receive every day.
- It may interest you: “9 natural remedies to combat insomnia”
In this article we will see how anxiety and fears can lead to insomnia problems, and what to do to combat this problem.
The relationship between anxiety and fear
Let’s start by understanding the basic concepts that serve to understand how these sleep difficulties arise.
Anxiety is an emotion present in the vast majority of human beings, to the point that being unable to experience it in the first person can be considered a neuropsychological condition (probably caused by a brain malformation or injury to certain parts of the brain). This is so because the fact of being anxious is not a problem in itself; evolutionarily, it has helped us survive for hundreds of thousands of years, because it is associated with the activation of a state of alarm in the nervous system, very useful for reacting quickly to the first signs of danger.
That is why anxiety is linked, albeit indirectly, to fear, because it implicitly carries the idea that there are risks to which we could be exposing ourselves, or opportunities that, if not taken advantage of, would make us be in a worse situation. It is an experience that is often unpleasant, but that also, on numerous occasions, helps us to be oriented towards the achievement of important goals for our survival and well-being.
However, sometimes we tend to enter an anxious state without the context really requiring it, and in these cases the problem becomes the anxiety itself, and the fear it produces. Insomnia is one of these unintended consequences .
The effect of anxiety on insomnia
These are the main aspects why anxiety and fear can lead to insomnia.
1. It greatly alters brain chemistry
Anxiety causes the activity of the nervous system to reorient itself towards short-term actions, leaving aside processes considered less of a priority at that time.
This is reflected in the way the body secretes hormones and neurotransmitters, molecules that travel through our body and affect us both physically and psychologically. For example, cortisol, which is a substance produced en masse when we are stressed, makes it harder for our brain to consolidate memories, so that after a few days it is normal for us to have a hard time remembering what was happening while we felt that state of stress. anxiety.
Of course, falling asleep is not considered a priority when we are anxious, and therefore the chemicals associated with starting to sleep lose ground to those of activation, which generate a completely opposite effect on our mental activity.
2. It enhances rumination
Anxiety promotes the appearance of psychological rumination, which is the phenomenon that occurs when a worrying thought runs through our heads and refuses to leave our minds. This is capable of keeping us awake for several hours, in the most extreme cases, since our consciousness does not “disengage” from that stream of thoughts.
3. It leads us to postpone the time to go to bed
When we are anxious, it is very common for us to perceive going to bed as a waste of time: we prefer to keep thinking about what worries us to see if we find a solution or at least an idea that offers us comfort. For this reason, in many people, anxiety also has a clearly objective component, which is reflected in the predisposition to postpone the moment in which we will try to go to sleep.
4. It can lead us to psychologically harmful habits
On the other hand, anxiety not only exposes us to the above, but also puts us in a vulnerable situation in the face of other psychological problems that can clearly lead us to problems sleeping well.
An example of this is addictions: People who experience anxiety too often or too intensely are statistically more likely to engage in addictive habits, such as drinking alcohol. And the vast majority of addictions cause the quality of sleep to drop dramatically.
To do?
Here are some simple tips to combat the damaging effect of anxiety on sleep problems.
- Do moderate exercise (in the morning, at noon or in the middle of the afternoon)
- Set a fixed schedule
- Avoid coffee in the afternoon
- Practica Mindfulness
- make sure you eat right
If you are looking for psychological help…
Psychology professionals can also be of great help in keeping this excess anxiety that produces insomnia at bay by analyzing your particular case and offering you solutions adapted to your case. If you are looking for support from an expert, you can contact me .
Bibliographic references
- Axelsson, J., Sundelin, T., Ingre, M., Van-Someren, E. Olsson, A. (2010). Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people. BMJ, 341.
- Öhman, A. (2000). Fear and anxiety: Evolutionary, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. En Lewis M, Haviland-Jones JM (eds.). Handbook of emotions. Nueva York: The Guilford Press.
- Sylvers, P.; Lilienfeld, S.O.; LaPrairie, J.L. (2011). Differences between trait fear and trait anxiety: implications for psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review. 31 (1): pp. 122 – 137.
- Health Technology Assessment Unit. (2009). Learning to know and manage insomnia. Information for the patient. Quality Plan for the National Health System of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Clinical Practice Guidelines in the SNS.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.