Sleep anxiety is a feeling of fear or stress about falling asleep or staying asleep. Sleep problems and mental health disorders such as anxiety are closely intertwined. One can often make the other worse, so it can feel like a never-ending cycle. But anxiety and sleep problems are both treatable.
Somniphobia is the intense fear of sleep. People with this phobia may be afraid of having nightmares, experiencing sleep paralysis or dying in their sleep.
That said, here are some of the medications available to treat insomnia and sleep anxiety: Sleep aids: These include prescription medications such as eszopiclone (Lunesta), zolpidem (Ambien), zolpidem ER (Ambien CR), and zaleplon (Sonata). They can help you fall or stay asleep.
There are a few different treatment options available for those with somniphobia, or sleep anxiety. These include exposure therapy, relaxation techniques, and medications, such as benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and antidepressants.
Sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers are sedative medications. This means they slow down your body and brain's functions. For example, this may be your breathing, heartbeat and thought processes. These medications can be prescribed for severe anxiety or insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep).
Underlying factors may include genetics, stress and certain changes in the way parts of your brain work. In some cases, an underlying condition, such as a sleep disorder or thyroid problem, can cause panic-like signs and symptoms.
But if you feel that way often, it can be an anxiety disorder. It can cause intense attacks that speed up your heart rate, raise your blood pressure, and make you sweaty or dizzy. It also can affect your sleep. Insomnia is when you have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Anxiety, stress, and depression are some of the most common causes of chronic insomnia. Having difficulty sleeping can also make anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms worse. Other common emotional and psychological causes include anger, worry, grief, bipolar disorder, and trauma.
Mirtazapine and trazodone are two antidepressants that help patients fall asleep and improve their sleep architecture.
It is a good idea to see your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping or you are having problems with your mood, feeling restless in bed, snoring badly or waking up not feeling refreshed. Keeping a sleep diary is a good way to track symptoms, which you can share with your health professional.
Common sleep disorders—such as Sleep Apnea or Restless Leg Syndrome—activate the brain during sleep. This activation mirrors the activity that occurs during the fight or flight response. When your body goes into fight or flight mode, your adrenaline surges. Your blood pressure and heart rate also increase.
Antidepressants: Certain antidepressants can be effective in treating anxiety and racing thoughts. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used. Antihistamines: Some over-the-counter antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®), can have a sedating effect and may be used to help with sleep.
Anxiety can get worse at night as people find themselves focusing more on their worries once they are lying in bed without the distractions of the day. For example, sometimes people with insomnia may begin to develop worries about whether or not they will be able to fall asleep.
Anxiety can cause you to have vivid dreams that are more disturbing, which can cause further sleep disruptions. You may begin to become fearful of falling asleep, causing more problems in your sleep schedule and routine. Some people even develop what is called sleep anxiety because of their difficulties falling asleep.
Sleep disorders
“If you wake up and begin to experience worry, anxiety or frustration, you likely have activated your sympathetic nervous system, your 'fight-or-flight' system,” explains Dr. Kane. “When this happens, your brain switches from sleep mode to wake mode.
One study of older adults with insomnia found that magnesium supplementation at a dose of 500 milligrams daily for eight weeks helped them fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, reduced nighttime awakenings, and increased their levels of naturally circulating melatonin.
Racing Mind and Anxiety
Rapid thoughts are often a symptom associated with anxiety. They can make people feel out of control or as if they are going crazy. When it comes to sleep, this effect of anxiety is a cyclical problem. Because your brain struggles to focus when it is tired, it often leads to racing thoughts.
Many experts recommend getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night, although some say that the quality of sleep is more important than quantity. Getting six hours of high-quality, uninterrupted sleep is more beneficial than eight hours of restless, interrupted sleep.
Magnesium reduces stress hormones in the brain to lessen anxiety, restlessness, mood swings, memory loss, depression, insomnia, and a host of other mental health issues. Magnesium limits the release of cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone, and prevents it from reaching the brain.
The usual dosage of oral melatonin is 0.1 mg to 5 mg before bedtime (Savage, 2021). In a meta-analysis of clinical studies, the dose of melatonin given to ease pre-surgery anxiety ranged from 3 mg to 14 mg and was taken about one to two hours before surgery (Madsen, 2015).