Everyone experiences stress from time to time. In fact, experts believe that stress is an important way for the body to stay alert, focused, and prepared to respond to a stressful situation.

But anxiety can also be accompanied by anxious thoughts and physical symptoms that can make things worse at night and make it difficult for you to sleep.

While anxiety is often a temporary experience, when it persists or worsens over time it can develop into an anxiety disorder.

In this article, we will delve into the causes that may be causing you anxiety in the evenings, how you can soothe anxiety at night, and when you should talk to a doctor if the anxiety is persistent and causing sleep problems.

What causes you stress in the evenings?

Whether it occurs at night or during the day, anxiety is caused by the body's reaction to a potential threat .

Researchers have found a wide variety of factors that can trigger or increase a person's anxiety, including:

• Lack of sleep: It has been found that people who don't get enough sleep experience greater psychological distress , which can result in more anxiety and stress. Studies also show that when a person sleeps less than they are used to, they experience increased anxiety the next day. [Read: How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need ]
• Stressful events: Stressful life events, such as problems at work, an illness, or the death of a family member, can cause a person to experience temporary distress and anxiety. For some people, anxiety disorders may begin after a particularly difficult and stressful event has occurred in their life.
• Traumatic experiences: People often feel anxious after a traumatic experience they may have experienced, such as a natural disaster, an act of violence, or a car accident. Childhood trauma can also make a person more likely to experience panic attacks or maintain excessive worry as an adult.
• Genetics: Research has found that multiple genes may make a person more likely to develop an anxiety disorder. A person who has a genetic predisposition to anxiety may develop the disorder after experiencing trauma or significant stressors in their life.
• Medication side effects: Some medications can cause side effects, such as anxiety. For example, starting or increasing the dosage of steroids, amphetamines, or antihistamines has been associated with anxiety and panic symptoms. Similarly, substances such as caffeine and nicotine can cause anxiety.

Why is anxiety worse at night?

Anxiety can worsen at night, as people, when in bed without the distractions of the day, focus more on their worries and problems.

For example, a person experiencing insomnia symptoms may begin to worry about whether or not they will sleep tonight when they lie down in bed. This worry can escalate in intensity and duration, making it even more difficult to fall asleep.

Additionally, various other conditions can flare up at night, causing anxiety. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves nightmares and disturbed sleep. And nocturnal panic attacks can cause a person to wake up during the night feeling anxious and as if something bad is going to happen.

How do you know if you have anxiety in the evenings?

The symptoms and severity of anxiety vary. A person experiencing anxiety may notice symptoms at night such as:

• Anxiety or fear about the future
• Fatigue that seems irreversible
• Headaches, stomachaches, or other pains
• Muscle tension, increased heart rate, or sweating
• Shortness of breath or chest discomfort
• Dizziness
• Tremors, chills, or tingling
• Flashbacks of a traumatic event or nightmares

How does stress affect sleep?

Anxiety and worry can affect a person's ability to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. One of the reasons this happens is because anxiety can trigger stress, which in turn manifests itself in physical and emotional symptoms .

This stress response triggers a cascade of effects throughout the body that can make a person feel too agitated and restless to sleep.

Additionally, stress can continue to affect the body after a person falls asleep and change the way they move through the stages of sleep. For example, it has been found that people who are more stressed spend less time in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Stress is also associated with less time in the deep sleep stage, which is thought to be important for restoring the body and mind.

[Read: How to increase deep sleep ]

How to relax from stress at night?

People who experience anxiety at night can try many relaxation techniques that will relieve them and help them fall asleep more easily.

The most important are the following.

◾️ Breathing exercises: Practicing slow, deep breathing can help people manage excessive stress and combat insomnia. Breathing exercises can promote sleep by reducing nervous system arousal and increasing relaxation. In an earlier article we wrote, you can learn two easy breathing techniques for better sleep and less stress.

◾️ Progressive muscle relaxation : This is another technique that promotes relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation is commonly used to treat panic attacks, excessive worry, and insomnia. Breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation can also be used together.

◾️ Writing: If your evening stress is usually related to your work and upcoming tasks, research shows that writing before bed can help. Specifically, it has been found that people who write a detailed list of tasks they need to complete, as well as ways they could do them better, are more likely to fall asleep faster.

◾️ Exercise: Regular exercise has been shown repeatedly to reduce anxiety, both in people with and without anxiety disorders. Physical activity may also help improve sleep in people with insomnia, especially in the elderly.

◾️ Psychotherapy for Anxiety: When anxiety begins to interfere with a person's sleep or daily life, seeking professional treatment is imperative. Mental health professionals can offer support and a variety of tools for dealing with anxiety.

◾️ Insomnia treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a type of therapy that is usually the first treatment recommended for people with insomnia, including people whose insomnia is associated with anxiety during the night.

Talk to your doctor about the anxiety you feel in the evenings.

See your doctor if you suspect that the anxiety you feel in the evenings is more than just an occasional worry.

Experts encourage people to report their mental health concerns to their doctor, who can refer them to a specialist if necessary and recommend medication or other treatment options.

Be honest with your doctor about your symptoms and give them full details about how long they've been happening and how severe they are. Even if your nighttime anxiety doesn't feel particularly severe, talk to your doctor if your sleep is disrupted enough to affect your daytime functioning.

Your doctor can help you determine whether a sleep disorder or an underlying health problem may be causing your symptoms.

Finally, keeping a sleep diary for a week or two before your doctor's visit can help them better understand what you're experiencing. To keep a sleep diary, note when you fall asleep, when you wake up, when you sleep, when you feel tired, and when you exercise or consume caffeine or alcohol during the day.

Tackle insomnia and anxiety with a gravity blanket

Gravity blankets are the most effective way to deal with insomnia and stress without medication, as they have been used for many decades to help people suffering from anxiety disorders, autism, and other sensory disorders.

How do they work?

They are designed to apply gentle, steady pressure to the entire body, which occupational therapists call “ Deep Tactile Pressure .” This steady pressure relaxes the nervous system and helps the body naturally increase levels of serotonin and melatonin (the hormones of happiness and sleep) while reducing levels of cortisol, which is responsible for stress.

As a result, the mind stops "racing", the heart rate drops, the mood improves and the body enters a state of complete relaxation.

Choose the one that weighs closest to 10% of your body weight and upgrade your sleep from the very first night.

Sources

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6. National Institute of Mental Health. (2022, May). Coping with traumatic events.

7. Roy-Byrne, PP (2022, February 9). Panic disorder in adults: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis. In M. Friedman (Ed.). UpToDate., Retrieved December 16, 2022

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