Nighttime anxiety: causes and 10 keys to overcoming it

We show you how to deal with stress-related sleep problems.

It's 2 a.m. and in 5 hours you have to get up for work. You've been tossing and turning in bed for two hours, and no matter how hard you try, you can't fall asleep. You have tried everything to fall asleep quickly, counting sheep, doing the 4-7-8 method, and so on, but every minute that passes you feel more anxious and more worried. You have less and less time to sleep and thinking about this keeps you more sleepless.

If you think this situation has happened to you, it is possible that you have suffered from night anxietya phenomenon associated with insomnia that can appear at specific moments or for long periods of time for various reasons. In this article you will find some tips to help you overcome this type of anxiety.

When the mind does not disconnect.

This unpleasant feeling can appear for different reasons, and surely some time in your life you have experienced it. Night anxiety invades you when you enter that vicious circle in which you are very clear that you must go to sleep but those negative thoughts and that anxiety only do that feed this negative situation. You are sleepy, but you can't relax.

Our mind has a tendency to ruminate, and if we dwell on an issue we make things worse. Once those ruminations take over our attention, worry seriously disrupts our ability to relax. worry seriously disrupts our ability to fall asleep..

Causes of night anxiety

Anxiety is a completely normal and adaptive emotion, and people can experience it in our daily lives many times, but nighttime anxiety is not exactly positive. Generally is a consequence of worries we may have about something we may have about something that happens to us in our daily lives.

Perhaps it is a warning about something that may go wrong, and at best, for example, it is a way of warning us that we should go out and look for a job because we are running out of money.

But it can also happen that night anxiety is a consequence of imaginary or anticipated worries that we have and that we are exaggerating, it can be a symptom of the stress we are suffering and that prevents us from sleeping, and it can even be a consequence of doing intense physical training just before going to bed, which activates our nervous system and, in turn, prevents us from disconnecting when we are tucked up in bed.

Tips to overcome anxiety at night

Undoubtedly, suffering from this situation is unpleasant. But... Is it possible to overcome it? Here are some tips and habits that can help you get out of this difficult situation.

1. Detect the problem

It has already been mentioned in the previous lines that night anxiety can be caused by different reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the source of the problem. Are we training at night? Are we worried about something in our life (for example, the mortgage payment)? Do we have a lot of work in our office and are we taking this work home with us? Are we going through an existential crisis?

These questions can help us to find out what is really going on with us, so we can solve it. For example, if we have detected that the problem is that we train at night, maybe it is better to train in the morning.

2. Seek psychological help

In some cases, it is possible that we are not aware of the problem, or that when we try to solve it, the symptoms have not improved. Then it is necessary to seek psychological therapy. An expert psychotherapist can help you solve the problems of night anxiety and insomnia, so that you can improve your general health and recover your emotional balance.

3. Exercise

Doing physical exercise is necessary because it brings many benefits not only physical, but also psychological. Studies show that sports practice improves mood because it helps to release neurochemicals such as serotonin or endorphins, which make us feel good.

It also helps us to reduce stress and anxiety, as it reduces the presence of cortisol in our organism.. Also, with physical exercise you will be more tired at home and sleep better.

4. But... do not overtrain

However, to prevent the nervous system from being excessively active late at night, it is better to practice sports or physical exercise in the morning or early afternoon. The important thing is to avoid exercising at night.

It is also necessary to avoid the syndrome of overtraining, also called stalenesswhich is different from physical overtraining. This condition occurs when the athlete does not rest enough or trains excessively.This has serious consequences for their mental health: feelings of emotional fatigue, lethargy, loss of stamina, insomnia, depression, etc. It can be complicated to detect; however, you can learn more about this phenomenon in our article: "Overtraining syndrome: burned out athletes".

5. Eat well

Diet is also an important factor that determines to a greater or lesser extent our general well-being. There is no doubt about it, a healthy lifestyle will promote good sleeping habits, which can play an important role in our overall well-being.which can play an important role in preventing insomnia.

But food should be taken care of especially at night, since heavy meals can cause difficulties in falling asleep and, therefore, nocturnal anxiety.

6. Beware of stimulants

While it is true that not everyone is affected in the same way by some stimulants such as coffee or theobromine, it is always preferable not to take products containing these substances (especially taurine) after 6 p.m. (when you have a normal schedule) because it can hinder sleep and alter your nervous system.

7. Practice Mindfulness

The practice of Mindfulness or Plena Attention seems to have a positive effect in combating anxiety, stress or insomnia. Mindfulness is a method that works on the ability to be aware, compassion and the ability to be present in the here and now.

Its 8-week program called "Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program (MSBR)" seems to significantly improve the well-being of people who have used it. A study by the University of Utah showed that MBSR not only helps reduce stress and manage anxiety, but can help us sleep better.

8. Have a daily schedule

Insomnia and night anxiety can also occur by not having a defined schedule. For example, going to bed one day at 11pm, the next at 3am and the next at 12pm. The same happens with getting up at a different time each day. It is always preferable to have a more or less fixed schedule, let's say from 9am to 11pm, which allows the circadian rhythm to allows the circadian rhythm not to be altered and a natural sleep and a natural and quality sleep is produced.

9. Disconnect

The schedule is often mediated by how we use technological devices. If we start watching a movie at 11pm, we will probably not go to bed until after 1am, which does not favor sleep at all and can cause night anxiety.

In addition, scientific studies affirm that using electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime also harms our ability to fall asleep, as it the mind stimulated due to the lighting that these devices use. that these devices use.

10. Use the bedroom for sleeping and intimate relations.

Experts say that the bedroom should be used for sleeping or having sex if we want to sleep better, so they do not advise having the computer in this space of the house. Also, having the television nearby can be counterproductive, especially if we go to bed.especially if we go to bed with the TV on.

We should also take care of the space where we sleep: a comfortable pillow, a correct temperature, etc. are factors that can lead to poor sleep quality and can cause us to wake up in the middle of the night and then not be able to sleep properly.