Have you ever struggled with falling asleep at night, that you google “I can’t sleep due to my anxiety”? Are you wondering how to sleep better at night with anxiety? We wonder, why are we tossing and turning, unable to shake some things from our mind? Regardless of how tired and sleepy we are, our thoughts keep us awake. Almost like a giant flashlight shining in our mind, refusing us to let go and fall into slumber.
The next morning, we wake up feeling exhausted and worn out from not getting good enough sleep. On top of struggling with our anxiety on a regular basis, it doesn’t even allow us to get some good rest from it! It’s like a constant cycle in our minds.
Could it be that we are feeling guilty about something that happened 3 years ago, still not able to accept our past? Maybe we are fuming with anger or stress about something, and got into a rabbit hole of thinking about it. It could be that we have certain regrets we can’t shake. Maybe your thoughts spiral out of control as you find more things to be upset at yourself for.
Anxiety can keep us up at night for a few reasons. Being able to identify your reasons will help give you clarity into being able to resolve the issue. From there, we will be able to establish any nighttime routines that may be helpful or practices that we can do. It may not be clear to us at first just what is keeping us from peaceful slumber.
Make sure to consider that anxiety therapy is a great route to take as well! You can connect with a therapist to discuss your concerns regarding sleeping and anxiety. They will be able to determine if you can benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy; an effective form of therapy used to target your thoughts and thought process.
Anxiety treatment in Simi Valley, Ca, can provide you with coping mechanisms to have a better night sleep.
How to Sleep Better at Night With Anxiety: Identify what is keeping you up at night
There are a few different reasons why we may be unable to sleep due to anxiety. It could be that we just don’t want our free time to end! Maybe our day can get so busy with chores, errands, school, work, and more. We feel that our day becomes so preoccupied, we barely have any down time for ourselves.
As a result, we want to utilize our free time as much as possible. That can look like being in bed scrolling through your phone or watching TV to avoid falling asleep. Maybe we want to catch up with friends or family, and stay up texting them or being on the phone with them. When we get ready for bed, we know that we will have to wake up and start the day over again. Therefore, we want to utilize our free time as much as possible.
It could be that we are busy ruminating about our day. We may have had a stressful day, whether it be from work, school, or other circumstances. Perhaps you felt off that day, and were just in a bad mood altogether. Ruminating on our day can look like over-analyzing what happened and maybe our reactions to that. We may overthink what happened throughout our day and feel angry, sad, or uncomfortable.
Click here to read about “How to Challenge Negative Thoughts”.
Finally, it could be that our mind is obsessing over upsetting things that happened in the past. Maybe we have regrets for ourselves that we cannot seem to overcome. It could be that you struggle with a lot of guilt, feeling regret for certain things in your life. You can’t shake these thoughts when you are alone in your bed, and feel like you can’t stop replaying it in your mind.
Click here to read about “How to Stop Feeling Guilty”.
Anxiety therapy in Simi Valley, Ca, is here to provide you with a safe space to discuss uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.
How to Sleep Better at Night With Anxiety: Practice regular self care
Regardless of struggling with bad thoughts or memories, it could be that our mind and body is so worn out and exhausted, we can’t seem to get restful sleep! Whether you are having busy days or nights, you can’t seem to find time to really tend to yourself. Make yourself feel relaxed, comfortable, or secure.
When we schedule in self care on a regular basis, we have something to look forward to. We have plans to do something that de-stresses us and makes us feel safe and relaxed at the end of the day. It could be that your self care is turning off your electronics or putting them on “do not disturb” an hour before you plan to go to bed.
Consider establishing a nighttime routine full of things that make you feel good and relaxed. This could look like having a cup of tea before bed with a good book to help yourself unwind. Maybe you love skincare, and want to build up your skincare routine that involves masks, relaxation, and taking care of your skin. Perhaps you want to exercise more, and want to include an hour of physical activity towards the evening time.
Think about what self care you could incorporate into your schedule on a daily basis and develop a routine to stick to it! Being able to give yourself time to relax your mind, body and soul will help you manage your anxiety better in the long run. Make sure to give yourself time and space, and to not overwhelm yourself during the day.
Anxiety treatment in Moorpark,Ca, is available now for children, teens, adults, and families!
How to Sleep Better at Night With Anxiety: Consider anxiety therapy
Anxiety therapy is a great option to explore when you feel stuck in what to do next with your anxiety. You have identified what is causing your anxiety to keep you up at night, and you already try to incorporate as much self care as possible. Now, you are stuck at a crossroads. What could I possibly do next?
It’s best to start thinking about starting anxiety therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an evidence-based, effective form of anxiety treatment that is commonly used among therapists. Cognitive behavioral therapy is administered to examine your thoughts and thought processes to better understand why you may ruminate so much or think a certain way.
Click here to read about “What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)?”
Connecting with an anxiety therapist is a great way to understand the severity of your anxiety problem and how it interferes with your sleeping schedule. It could be that you would benefit more from short term therapy, where you work with the therapist on direct, present issues. Or, you could hold long term therapy, where you continue to work with the therapist as more anxiety triggers or events come up that you could use support on.
Click here to read about “Therapy for Anxiety: What Are the First Steps?”
Online anxiety counseling in Ventura County, Ca, is available NOW at your convenience!
More about Simi Psychological Group: We are a team of psychologists and therapists in Simi Valley, Ca offering an array of therapy services.
At our therapy practice in Simi Valley, Ca we offer Child therapy and family counseling, Teen therapy, Anxiety Treatment, Depression Therapy, Marriage Counseling, and Neuropsychological Testing. Now Offering Online Therapy in Los Angeles and Online Counseling Ventura County
Dr. Novak is the group practice owner and licensed psychologist at Simi Psychological Group a therapy practice in Simi Valley, California. Simi Psychological Group offers a variety of services including trauma therapy, couples therapy, anxiety therapy, teen therapy, and more. Simi Psychological Group emphasizes the importance of creating real change by making sure to get to the root of your struggles.
