How Does Sleep Affect Anxiety?

 

Sleep, something most of us feel like we can never get enough of. Anxiety, a disorder that over 40 million people are affected by daily. But did you know that anxiety is often connected to sleeping problems? Excessive worry and fear can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. If you are experiencing sleep deprivation, it can cause your anxiety to worsen, and then you start a vicious cycle of insomnia and anxiety disorders. Trying to understand and address the link between sleep and stress can help your physical and emotional health.

How Does Sleep Affect Your Mental Health?

While sleeping, your brain activity fluctuates and can increase and decrease during different stages that make up your sleep cycle. Every stage of your sleep cycle plays a role in your brain's health, allows different brain parts to ramp up and down, and enables better thinking, learning, and memory. Research has also proven that brain activity during sleep also has effects on your mental and emotional health. 

Getting enough sleep each night allows your brain to process emotional information. During sleep, the brain will evaluate and remember thoughts and memories, and it appears that a lack of sleep can affect your positive emotional content. This can cause moodiness and emotional reaction and is also tied to mental health disorders. 

When it comes to not getting enough sleep each night, you can also develop psychological effects of sleep deprivation, including losing attention and concentration. Take a baby who does not get a nap - they often get cranky and whine. Adults are the same; sleep deprivation can cause adults to get cranky, and your emotions can become out of control, such as your fear and anxiety. It can also trigger depression and suicidal tendencies in some. 

How Does Sleep Affect Your Physical Health?

When it comes to physical health, a lack of sleep can also affect you. Adults who are not getting the recommended 7 hours of sleep each night are more likely to have health issues including heart attack, asthma, and depression. This can also lead to an increase in heart disease and stroke. Other health problems include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. These are just a few reasons you should know the importance of sleep for your physical health to lower your heart issues and other conditions. 

Can Sleep Affect Your Stress Level?

As you can tell, sleep is tied to your overall health, and there is clear evidence that shows this. While anxiety and depression can interfere with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, not getting enough sleep can lead to higher levels of stress, frustration, depression, and anxiety. As we mentioned above, it truly is a cycle. Too much stress causes you to lose sleep, and not enough sleep can leave you more stressed. 

How Does Sleep Anxiety Start?

For most, there are many ways sleep anxiety can start. For some, it begins when they get worried about getting enough sleep. Others already have a problem with anxiety, and it just carries over into their sleep patterns. However, most people stress about getting enough sleep, which causes them to lay awake for hours and get no sleep. Others have nightmares, suffer from sleep apnea, and are afraid they will not wake up. Both of these also cause anxiety and mess up any sleep pattern.

Some sleep anxiety symptoms you may find yourself suffering with can include feeling restless or not calming down, feeling tired, or even having brain fog. Other symptoms can include moodiness, irritability, tense muscles, and worrying over everything. 

How Does Sleep Affect Anxiety?

Sleep and anxiety difficulties go hand in hand and often feed off each other. Anxiety is connected to sleep issues in most people, and the excess worry can make it harder to fall asleep. This also causes problems with staying asleep during the night and getting a full night's rest. Once you start the cycle of not getting enough sleep each night, this can cause your anxiety to worsen, and this forms the never-ending battle between getting enough sleep and controlling your anxiety. 

How Can I Stop Sleep Anxiety?

Now that you know sleep and anxiety are closely related and feed off each other, you may want to see what you can do to control it and make sure you get more sleep each night. Some of the primary ways to get more sleep and reduce your anxious thoughts are to stay positive. Try to remain calm and positive and do not dwell on negative thoughts. Other things you can do are going to bed at the same time each night, stay away from caffeine 4-5 hours before bed, don’t take naps during the day, avoid exercise before bedtime, and try to keep your bedroom dark and cool, if possible. If you find yourself unable to sleep, try to get up and read a boring book, a warm bath, or even some deep breathing.

How Much Sleep is Too Much?

The amount of sleep each person needs will vary. This can also change depending on your age. Most adults need at least 7-9 hours of sound sleep each night to function. If you are getting more than 9 hours of sleep each night and still do not feel rested, you could be getting too much sleep. You could also have an underlying problem that you may want to speak to a doctor about. This could include sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg, pain, or even narcolepsy. 

How Can I Stop Sleeping So Much?

If you think you are getting too much sleep each night, you might be looking for ways to stop. Suppose you suffer from a medical condition or other reasons for excessive sleeping, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity, headaches, or chronic pain. In that case, you may want to speak to your doctor about ways to improve your sleep habits. If oversleeping is caused by alcohol or medications, you may want to cut back on these. As always, practicing good sleep hygiene can also help your sleep habits. Such as going to bed at the same time each night, waking up at the same time, avoiding naps during the day, and avoiding caffeine and exercise before bed, as we mentioned above. 

How To Sleep When Stressed or Anxious

If you feel stressed and anxious, the last thing you want to do is stay up all night tossing and turning. This will only make your mood worse and make you feel as so. It is crucial you know the importance of good sleep habits and how to achieve them. If you feel stressed or even anxious, you can try taking a warm bath to calm down. 

You can also try some deep breathing techniques and even read a book to calm your mind. For long-term goals, you should try to get on a sleep schedule that includes going to bed and waking up simultaneously. You need to speak to your doctor about medications if you think they are a contributing factor. Another great tip is if you are a smoker or drink alcohol to cut back or stop entirely, as this can also affect your anxiety and lead to more sleepless nights. 

Supplements Can Help

Supplements can help you on so many different levels when it comes to feeling better and getting healthy. SpermidineLIFE is designed to help trigger autophagy which is the body's way of cell renewal. Introducing spermidineLIFE into your daily diet can give you some of the same benefits as fasting by cleaning your cells of toxic waste material. This can leave you feeling better and healthier. Autophagy also helps your body by promoting regeneration and healthy cells and providing energy and building blocks. The benefits of this supplement are also shown in your immune system and even heart function. 

With the rise of anxiety and sleeplessness, some people turn to other ways to help their sleep patterns. If you choose to use supplements, change your sleeping habits, or even see a doctor, these are ways to help yourself physically. Getting your anxiety under control can help lead to more restful nights, which in turn can help with your anxiety and stress levels. If you are looking for more information on spermidineLIFE, please visit our website! 

  • Don Moxley - Director of Applied Science

    Don Moxley is the Director of Applied Science at Longevity Labs. Moxley draws upon his career as an athlete, a sports scientist, and an instructor to lead and educate on the science of autophagy and longevity.