There’s nothing worse than running off of a poor night’s sleep. Getting a proper night’s rest is important for anyone who wants to operate at their best the following day. Not getting enough rest can leave someone feeling groggy, grumpy, and in a fog.
This outcome might feel inevitable to those who can’t seem to get to bed at night. Far too many Americans suffer from sleep issues, and often these sleep issues are related to stress and anxiety.
Those suffering should take the time to learn how to sleep when stressed and anxious. Introducing a few tactics and practices can help even the most anxious out there get the proper rest they need to manage their lives.
Read on and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know.
Understanding the Impact of Anxiety on Sleep
While occasional anxiety is not a reason for concern for most Americans, a constant state of anxiety or stress can be extremely unhealthy for both the body and mind.
Anxiety is the result of what is known as the ‘fight or flight’ survival tactic of the brain. This mental habit is still with us after years of evolution and is part of our survival habits. What used to be triggered by the possibility of a large animal coming to eat us can now be triggered by worries at work, in our relationships, and so forth.
When this ‘fight or flight’ mode of thinking comes over us while in bed, it can make it incredibly difficult to get to sleep. Even if you’re physically exhausted, the mind will be wired and wide awake. It can even result in physical behaviors like teeth grinding, that one might have to purchase a teeth grinder guard for.
If anxiety issues plague sleep enough, a kind of feedback loop can easily be created. Attempting to get to sleep properly can become a stressful act all on its own, creating anxiety and thus preventing that same desired sleep from occurring properly. What a mess!
If you suffer from anxiety or stress right before bed, it’s important to attempt to mitigate this stress if you hope to get back on a proper rest routine. The below tactics have been proven to work for many people.
Introduce Healthy Sleep Habits
A lot of people initially introduce stress and anxiety into their routine by failing to practice proper healthy sleeping habits. You yourself might stay up late into the night working or reading things online and then wake up far too early for work or school.
In this way, you’re already knocking your body off a proper and healthy sleeping schedule. To get things right, you’ll need to institute some rules.
To the best of your ability, try to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning at roughly the same time every day. Keeping a set schedule like this will naturally allow your body to move into a sense of routine and familiarity.
You can increase this sense of familiarity by introducing a normal bedtime routine that you move through each night before setting your head down on the pillow. Integrating calming activities, such as taking a bath, can help to relax your body and encourage your mind to wind down.
Most importantly, avoid taking on any stressful tasks in the hour before you get ready to fall asleep. This is the last time you want to be looking over your finances, fretting about an upcoming test, or anything like that. It’s far too easy to get your brain worked up this way.
Get Plenty of Exercise In
There are so many positive benefits to practicing regular exercise in your life. In addition to burning carbs and bettering your mental health, it’ll help you get better rest when night comes around.
You don’t have to do any sort of rigorous activity or put yourself through the wringer either in order to get the outcome you want when you head to bed. Scientific study has shown that something as simple as a short run or a brisk walk can be enough to promote increased sleep efficiency.
If you tired your body and brain out with a little healthy exercise, you’ll find that sleep comes over you much easier at night. While everyone might not have time to fit a trip to the gym every day, prioritizing a little physical activity, even for half an hour, can have big benefits.
Consider Melatonin
It’s always a good idea to see if you can get your own sleep schedule under control before looking to outside help. However, if you do need to look for something to take to help you sleep, it can be helpful to look into melatonin.
Why? Melatonin is actually a naturally-occurring hormone that already exists within the human body. This hormone begins rising in presence as one gets closer to bedtime. It’s credited with that feeling of sleepiness that comes over you as the night wears on.
Many who suffer from insomnia and disrupted sleep have mitigated these issues by taking melatonin supplements. You might want to speak to a doctor before taking melatonin, but you can find these supplements sold over the counter in most retail stores.
Understanding How to Sleep When Stressed and Anxious
If you’re having trouble getting proper rest at night it is essential you learn how to sleep when stressed and anxious. The above information can help you fight these mental obstacles and get the rest that you need and deserve.
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