Anxiety and Sleep Trouble by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is when an individual feels restless, on edge, or nervousness, coupled with worrying about multiple different situations and scenarios. This can occur whether or not there’s a reason for it.
What does sleep trouble look like?
The individual will have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or obtaining quality sleep. Interestingly, the individual might be tired or fatigued by their anxiety; however, they will still experience sleep trouble.
How does this happen?
Overcome with thoughts at night: Nighttime creates a space for us to just lay down and be with ourselves. This is an invitation for all of the thoughts to flood in. With anxiety, the thoughts may include reviewing scenarios from that day and what didn't go well, the “what if’s”, worst case scenarios, or thinking about future things that have not (and might not) happen.
Unable to physically rest: Daytime provides the opportunity for us to move our body and distract ourselves. Anxiety that appears may include physical restlessness and many other types of physical sensations that are uncomfortable. These physical sensations often occur when we are unoccupied, including at bedtime.
Why does it matter?
There could be underlying reasons that lead to your sleep trouble.
It takes a toll. If you’ve stumbled upon this blog, you might have been experiencing this for a while and have realized that it hasn’t gone away on its own.
Sleep trouble leads to problems in major areas of life, such as relationships, work, school, and self-care.
There are options and strategies to assist with sleep trouble in anxiety.
How can therapy help?
Therapy can assist with exploring and processing your experience with sleep trouble, and identifying the underlying factors that lead to it. Therapy can also assist in establishing sleep hygiene strategies so that you can obtain better, more consistent sleep.
You don’t have to do this alone. If you are interested in receiving therapy with me, let’s schedule a free 15-minute phone consult.
(NOTE: This video was filmed when my office was at a previous location. I am now located in Irvine, CA)
My office is located in Irvine, which is near Newport Beach, Orange, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Tustin, Seal Beach, and beyond. I work with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and Asian American & Pacific Islanders.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. The topics being discussed are meant as a self-help tool for you own use. It is not psychotherapy or counseling. This information is to be used based on your own judgment. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly.