About 24% of people diagnosed with chronic insomnia also suffer from anxiety disorders. People who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are more likely to suffer from insomnia.
If you have insomnia and anxiety, each of these disorders may worsen the other. Online therapy for anxiety can improve your symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. Let's understand the link between the two.
How Anxiety Makes it Harder To Fall Asleep
If you suffer from anxiety, anxious thoughts at night can make it harder to sleep. Your body needs to relax and paralyze itself in order to start a REM-NREM cycle. It does this by releasing sleep hormones such as melatonin when you're in bed trying to sleep. However, your body releases stress hormones associated with the fight or flight response when you get anxious. These hormones interfere with your sleep hormones and make it harder to fall asleep.
People with insomnia also get anxious looking at the clock at night. They get stressed about not being able to sleep, pushing the onset of sleep even farther away.
How Insomnia Worsens Anxiety
Insomnia can worsen your anxiety and even cause an anxiety disorder in people who don't suffer from it. Sleep deprivation negatively affects your cognitive abilities, leaving you with less control over negative thoughts and making you vulnerable to spiraling into toxic thought patterns. Sleep deprivation also increases your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, making you more vulnerable to anxiety attacks.
Falling asleep on time is essential for getting enough REM and NREM sleep. You can't make up for hours you lose at night by sleeping in the next morning. Still, there is something you can do to help both anxiety and insomnia.
Get Telehealth Therapy For Anxiety
Therapy can help you recognize toxic thought patterns and ward off anxiety attacks. Therapy can also help you develop healthy behavior patterns and mental tools to relax your mind while trying to sleep.
At Sprout Family Clinics, we make access to therapy easy for everyone. We've helped countless people get better with online therapy for anxiety and depression. We also offer BCBS in-network therapy sessions across the US.
Want to improve anxiety and insomnia with online therapy? Get in touch now!