Up to one-quarter of Americans have trouble falling asleep. If you are one of the millions who find themselves lying awake in the middle of the night, you might have already tried suggestions from friends, family, and acquaintances. If they have not worked, you might be considering seeking medical advice.
There are many contributors to insomnia. Some of them are physical, such as sleep apnea and hormone imbalances. Others are mental, such as anxiety and manic-depressive disorder. Some conditions that interfere with sleep, such as chronic pain, have physical and psychological causes. Breaking Dawn Therapy provides virtual therapy services to clients in the State of Michigan.
Anxiety and Stress can Affect Your Sleep
Anxiety and stress used to be beneficial. Our body has natural flight or fight responses that have helped our ancestors avoid or confront threats for hundreds of thousands of years. The stress response causes our hearts to beat faster, our breathing to quicken, and blood to flow to our muscles, preparing us for exertion.
In the modern world, the stress response is not always as useful because we can rarely physically run from or fight our problems. Our lives have become more complicated, which has left many people lying in bed feeling stressed as they brood over the previous day’s problems. The stress response that protected our ancestors now prevents so many of us from being refreshed with a good night’s sleep. Anxiety and stress can also affect our mood and eating habits, both of which can interfere with sleep.
Recommendations
There are many potential sources of stress and anxiety, so it is often impossible to identify a specific psychological cause of insomnia. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to relieve stress and promote healthy sleep patterns. These tips could be beneficial whether your insomnia stems from a physiological cause, a psychological cause, or a combination of both.
- Keeping a regular sleep schedule can train your body to habitually associate sleep with bedtime.
- Keeping a sleep journal to identify situations that make insomnia more likely so that you can avoid triggers of insomnia or minimize their effect.
- Using your bed only for sleeping and doing other activities outside of bed will also help your unconscious mind associate your bedtime routine with sleep.
- Meditating and controlling your breathing when you are trying to fall asleep can reduce the stress response, as can avoiding stressful activities just before bedtime.
- Try not to watch TV or use your phone or other electronic devices one hour before bedtime.
- Avoid eating food or drinking alcohol before bedtime so that your body is not trying to digest while you are trying to sleep at night.
- If your body does not produce enough melatonin, taking a melatonin supplement 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime could help you fall asleep sooner.
Consult a sleep specialist for persistent insomnia, which could indicate a sleep disorder. Medication can treat some sleep disorders, so early diagnosis can lead to better treatment for your specific case of insomnia. Another option is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Breaking Dawn Therapy | Michigan Virtual Therapy | Serving Belleville, Canton, Livonia, Westland, and the Surrounding Communities
Breaking Dawn Therapy offers virtual therapy sessions to treat psychological contributors to your sleeplessness so that you can get the rest you need. A trained therapist will work with you to develop a treatment plan.
Traveling to a therapist can be a source of anxiety or a barrier to seeking treatment. Breaking Dawn’s virtual therapy sessions allow you to receive treatment from the comfort and privacy of your own home, without the time and hassle of a commute. We serve all of Michigan from our office in Van Buren Township, Michigan.
