Sleep disorders are of many types. However, one of them involves when you try to sleep and can’t because your mind is all stressed out about the fact of sleeping. This is sleep anxiety and in some cases, you will need to visit a sleep center Silver Spring for treatment. Follow below for detailed information about this sleep disorder.

Sleep Anxiety

Sleep anxiety is exactly what you think it is. Have you ever tried to close your eyes before falling asleep and suddenly you get hit with this wave of anxiety? This is essentially sleep anxiety. The anxiety you feel when you can’t fall asleep or if you generally feel anxiety from sleeping is all because of this disorder.

Sleep anxiety can be frustrating, because even though your body is tired, your mind is extremely wired and it is worried about falling asleep. This can take a toll on your health and overall sleep schedule and you won’t be able to fall asleep at night until this anxiety burst passes.

Also known as Somniphobia, sleep anxiety can range from any fear or just general stress and anxiety about falling asleep and that’s what is odd about sleep anxiety. You’re not necessarily feeling anxious about anything else going on in your life, rather you’re afraid of falling asleep because you know that you won’t be able to and that can put a toll on your subconscious mind. This is extremely bad and you can wake up feeling irritable and moody and you obviously will have a hard time focusing on things, because your brain and body aren’t well rested.

Sleep anxiety can develop at any age. It is common in children and adults alike. Sometimes, it can stem as a symptom of sleep apnea, a disorder in which you can stop breathing while you’re sleeping and this can be a huge trigger for anxiety. Other times, sleep anxiety can also be because of some other disorder or it can occur on its own. The bottom line, however, is the same. You will have a very hard time falling asleep and your mind will be an anxious and stressful mess.

Causes Of Sleep Anxiety

There can be many causes of sleep anxiety, however, there isn’t a definitive one that can be used as a parameter to pinpoint whether it causes sleep anxiety or not.

As mentioned above, sleep anxiety can be caused due to other sleep disorders and it can be a direct or indirect symptom of a specific sleeping disorder.

Other times, it can be because of stress-inducing disorders like:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Night terrors
  • Sleep paralysis
  • Sleepwalking
  • Sleep talking
  • Bad sleeping habits
  • Not having a sleep schedule
  • Working in different time zones, etc.

Sleep anxiety is stressful because your brain is constantly awake, and if your brain is awake, then it will be impossible for you to have a peaceful night’s rest and that can turn things around for the worse.

There have been lots of studies done on people with sleep anxiety and it has been found that their brains generally have a great sense of fear of sleep and that is pretty much it. There still needs to be a lot of work done to say for sure why it happens and why it affects the brain to stay awake.

There have also been a lot of claims to support that people with PTSD are the only ones suffering from sleep anxiety, however, that’s not the case at all. Some people suffer from Somniphobia, and there is no way to say for sure why it happens.

More studies are needed to find a definitive cause for sleep anxiety because it can be really hard to deal with a disorder that doesn’t have a specific cause. A sleep study is conducted if deemed necessary. Once the cause is known, doctors can work their way around a specific treatment that can alleviate the symptoms of the disorder and lead patients to better sleep at night.

Symptoms Of Sleep Anxiety

Now that you know what sleep anxiety is, and how it can affect people, here are some symptoms that will help you decide you need to visit a sleep clinic Bethesda:

  • You will stall going to bed until it’s necessary. This is one of the biggest symptoms of sleep anxiety. Going to bed will give you a rush of anxiety.
  • Your heart will beat very fast as if you’ve run a marathon. This is your body having a mini anxiety attack, because of sleep.
  • When you do get to bed, you will constantly worry about sleeping. This will cause you to stay awake at night and you won’t be at peace at all.
  • You won’t be able to sleep. This one is a no-brainer, but it can happen a lot. Even if you’re lying down in bed, you just won’t be able to relax. You will constantly try to breathe in and out, trying to control your rapid heartbeat and your brain will be going a thousand miles a minute. This is the exact opposite of what you should be feeling when you’re about to fall asleep.
  • You will have a habit of leaving the lights or television on when you try to sleep. Darkness only makes your anxiety worse and you will need some sort of light to help you sleep.
  • Loss of focus is also another thing that people can experience because no sleep will lead to a foggy and disoriented brain.

Treatment & Management For Sleep Anxiety

Here are some ways of managing and trying to relieve your brain of the anxiety of falling asleep.

Exposure Therapy

The first thing that is beneficial for managing and trying to get your brain to feel relaxed while sleeping is exposure therapy. In this, you will need to train your body and brain to naturally like sleep.

This can happen if you try to take short naps throughout the day because then you will feel as though there is no actual fear related to sleep and you can press those thoughts down and have a peaceful night’s rest.

Medication

There are certain medications out there that can help with sleep issues and relax your brain. Beta-blockers and natural melatonin are amazing to take, upon doctor’s prescription, so that you can relax your mind and body and hit the hay.

It can be done after a doctor’s appointment and you’ll be able to get your hands on the medication you need, after evaluating the severity of your sleep anxiety.

Exercise

If you want to try a more natural route, then try exercising during the day. This is going to make your body tired and you will be able to fall asleep quickly because your mind is just too tired to stress over the fact that you’re trying to sleep.

You can try breathing work before going to bed. Take long deep breaths to relax your brain.

Conclusion

Sleep anxiety is pretty common to occur and it can be a direct disorder or an effect of another sleep disorder. Regardless, it can be quite frustrating to deal with. If sleep anxiety or any other sleep problem is affecting your daily routine and quality of life, you should see a sleep specialist Chevy Chase.