The Truth About Insomnia and Anxiety
Do you find it difficult to drop off to sleep at night? Or do you drop off fairly quickly and then wake after a short while, and find you are unable to get back to sleep? Well, you could be suffering from insomnia, and you are not alone. Many people have difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep.
It is thought that one of the main causes of insomnia is anxiety and stress. Sleepless nights spent tossing and turning and watching the clock go round make it hard to cope with life the following day. Poor sleep can leave you feeling lethargic and irritable, and unable to concentrate.
But it is possible for you to increase the quality of your sleep by just making a few simple changes during your day. Although anxiety can be partly responsible for your insomnia there are other things that may be to blame. So the following tips could help you enjoy better sleep.
Don’t eat a big meal before bed time. If you do need to eat, make sure it’s a very light snack.
Don’t drink any alcohol. You might think this will help you sleep but that is not true. Alcohol may help you to drop off to sleep but it will wake you up in the night, usually because you need to visit the bathroom.
Don’t drink anything which contains caffeine after early evening. Caffeine is a stimulant and is found in coffee, some teas, most fizzy drinks and even some cold remedies.
Don’t smoke after early evening. Many people are under the impression that a cigarette will calm them down, but in fact tobacco is a stimulant.
Don’t exercise before bed. Regular exercise during the day around three times a week is great, but exercise before bed will stimulate the body, raise your body’s temperature and make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
If you follow these tips you could soon find you are enjoying good quality sleep that allows you to wake feeling well rested and energised, and this will even go a long way to stopping your problems with anxiety too.