Many individuals with anxiety disorders have trouble sleeping. This is an issue. Too little sleep affects mood, resulting in irritability and sometimes depression. The different stages of sleep have vital functions that aid you loosen up and energize or aid you learn and form memories. Sleep often improves when the anxiety disorder is treated. Practicing good “sleep hygiene” also helps. Here are some steps to take:
- Go to bed and stand up at the identical time day by day, even on weekends.
- Daylight helps regulate sleep patterns, so attempt to get outside for half-hour a day.
- Exercise recurrently (but not too near bedtime). An afternoon workout is right.
- Keep naps short — lower than an hour — and stop sleeping after 3 p.m.
- Avoid caffeine (present in coffee, many teas, chocolate and lots of soft drinks), which may take as much as eight hours to wear off. If you've got panic attacks, you could have to avoid caffeine altogether. Many individuals who experience panic attacks are more sensitive to caffeine.
- Review your medications with a physician to see in the event you're taking any stimulants, that are a standard perpetrator in keeping people awake at night. Sometimes it is feasible to modify medications.
- Avoid alcohol, large meals, foods that cause heartburn, and drinking plenty of fluids several hours before bed.
- If you smoke, quit. Smoking causes many health problems, including compromising sleep in quite a lot of ways.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet without distractions like TVs or computers. Avoid using electronic devices to read in bed. Screen brightness can trick your brain into considering it's daytime. If your mattress is uncomfortable, change it.
- Reading, listening to music, or relaxing with a warm bath or deep respiratory before bed can aid you go to sleep.
- If you don't go to sleep inside 20 minutes of coming in (or in the event you get up and might't get back to sleep inside 20 minutes), get off the bed and rest until you're feeling sleepy.
No material on this site, no matter date, ought to be used as an alternative to direct medical advice out of your doctor or other qualified practitioner.