Get Better Sleep to Reduce Anxiety and Panic
Many people with anxiety have trouble sleeping. Here are some simple steps that you can take to sleep better. It’s a vicious circle, because poor sleep can make anxiety symptoms worse and cause you to be more prone to panic attacks. Here’s how to get better sleep.
10 Ways To Get Better Sleep Starting Today
If you have sleep panic attacks, good sleeping habits are very useful. The 10 tips for good sleep that I list below are taken from cognitive behavioral therapies for insomnia. There are many options to better sleep besides medication.
- Do not eat food or drink any beverages containing caffeine within six hours of going to sleep.
- Avoid heavy meals and alcohol before sleep.
- Limit drinking of any beverages in the evening.
- Do not smoke.
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule — eat your meals, take your medicine, and wake up at the same time every day.
- Use your bed for sleeping and sex only.
- Go to bed only when you’re tired. If you find you are still awake after 15 minutes or so, get up and do something relaxing, like read a book or knit. No TV, no Internet.
- Don’t take naps, or at least don’t nap when it’s close to your bedtime.
- Get regular exercise, however, don’t exercise within three hours of going to bed.
- Before going to sleep do relaxing activities like reading or taking a bath, or some gentle yoga.
Why Sleep Is Important
Sleep is vital to mental and physical health. Some doctors will tell you (and research bears this out) that you need sleep as much if not more than you need food.
Did you know that our brain is just as active when we are sleeping as when we are awake?
What’s going on in there?
If you don’t sleep well it can cause fatigue and problems with attention and memory. Chronic insomnia can lead to poor job performance and decreased quality of life as well as an increased risk of accidents and falls. Insomnia may be contributing to your anxiety, or it could be a symptom of anxiety.
There are many medications available to get relief from sleep problems, however, these medications can have unpleasant side effects or not be compatible with other medications that you’re taking.
An article in the February 2004 issue of “sleep medicine reviews” looked at six controlled randomized trials of cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep problems in people aged 60 and older and found that nonmedical treatments help people sleep longer, wake-up less in the middle of the night, and have shorter early-morning awakenings.
Begin to get good sleep starting tonight. You can modify you sleep habits, just like changing any other habit – by persistently following the same routine every day. If you miss one day, that’s ok, just go back to your new routine the next day.
This website cannot, and should not, stand alone as the sole medical or psychological intervention for any disorder. Any individual with a medical or psychological problem should first consult a qualified health care provider for diagnosis and professional advice. This website is intended only to provide general information and is not intended as an exhaustive source of information for the topics discussed. This website and these articles do not replace your relationship with any health care professional you are consulting with or consult with in the future.
