Causes And Treatment Of Anxiety At Night

Anxiety is a disorder that affects many people. In fact, the causes and manifestations are quite different. Some people also feel more anxious in the morning or throughout the day. However , it is common for those who experience anxiety at night to experience it during the day. This is because it gets more acute around midnight.

Brains tend to chew on thoughts and build up tension. Thus, it is common for anxiety to interfere with rest. This in turn increases a person’s anxiety during the day, and creates a vicious circle.

Anxiety

The term “anxiety” is used to refer to a symptom, a personality trait or a disorder. Regardless, it is a natural mechanism that helps people stay alert to a potential threat. Thus, it allows you to concentrate and face any obstacles that may come your way.

You experience non-adaptive anxiety disproportionate to the real threat a given stimulus poses. In other words, it is not the same to experience it in front of a lion in the middle of the savannah, an adaptive anxiety, than in your daily life when you are overwhelmed, non-adaptive anxiety. In fact, it causes psychological and physiological changes when it happens frequently, and it can have serious health consequences.

The main symptoms of anxiety include nervousness, muscle tension, fear, increased heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, trembling, dizziness and fatigue. There are also difficulties concentrating, controlling worries, difficulty falling asleep, and the need to avoid stressful situations at the cognitive and behavioral levels.

Anxiety at night

Anxiety at night can be due to various reasons. Every person experiences it differently and under one state or another. In fact, experts are not sure of the causes of anxiety at night.

However, several factors increase anxiety levels at the end of the day :

• Stress. Many people experience anxiety due to the stress they feel in one or more areas of life (in person or at work). When the stressors they encounter during the day are intense or frequent, they continue to think about them at the end of the day, and the level of anxiety increases.
• Distractions. Most people are not busy when they go to bed. Thus, the mind has time to think more about everything. Instead, people are busy during the day, which protects them from negative thoughts.
• To associate some events with bedtime. Anxiety works by association. Thus, it appears when you associate thoughts or symptoms to a particular moment. Having anxiety for one or two nights will increase the anxiety that it will happen again. Unfortunately, that will only make it more likely. Thus, you automatically start to get worried.

• Physical responses. Some people have physical pain or other types of discomfort at night. This, combined with the lack of distractors, causes them to interpret them as more negative, leading to more anxiety and difficulty disconnecting and sleeping.

How to overcome anxiety at night

As with any other type of anxiety, the most important thing is to acknowledge that you have a problem and maintain a change-oriented attitude. It is easy to overcome anxiety with a little effort and the right tools. However, seek professional help to overcome it if you are not sure of the guidelines to follow.

You can definitely try it on your own. Just follow these simple guidelines. All you need is motivation and perseverance.

Some of them are:

• Physical exercise provides many psychological and mental benefits. Among them, it improves your mood by helping you release neurotransmitters such as serotonin, a substance that makes you feel good. In addition, it reduces the presence of cortisol, the stress hormone. Do some physical activity in the morning or early afternoon to reduce anxiety.
• Any healthy habit will help you feel better, and eating is one of them. In this connection, the last meal of the day seems to be especially important.
• The consumption of caffeine and nicotine changes the physiological system, increases the heart rate, sleep cycles and therefore health. For this reason, consumption in people who experience anxiety at night, especially during and after the evening, is not recommended.
• Anxiety at night is a vicious circle exacerbated by the inability to sleep. Therefore, it is important to maintain proper sleep hygiene.

• Sleep hygiene consists of keeping the room clean and cozy, only using it to sleep and rest, and perform a ritual before bedtime. Your sleep is sacred, so do not use cell phones, tablets or computers when you go to sleep. This is because the screens on these devices change the cortisol level and this leads to stress and insomnia.

Concluding notes on anxiety at night

Ultimately, anxiety at night can be very bothersome. However, following a series of simple tasks, or seeking professional help, can solve it faster than you think. The most important thing you need to do is be aware and take good care of yourself.