The Most Common Reasons for Anxiety and Insomnia

Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety and insomnia. Countless television commercials advertize sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications. Both of these disorders can be debilitating, affecting mental focus, social interaction and even physical health, but why are there so many who suffer these two ailments and what is their relationship?

A Vicious Cycle

Insomnia affects different people different ways. Some have trouble going to sleep. They toss and turn in bed for hours before finally falling asleep. Others find themselves wide awake in the middle of the night, unable to to go back to sleep for some time. There are also those who set their alarms for 7am or 8am only to wake up at 3 or 4. All three kinds of sufferers drag themselves through the following day, unable to focus and worrying about how the following night will find them. Lack of sleep can cause the individual to stress over insignificant matters, feeling unable to handle small tasks and problems, thus leading to anxiety.

Anxiety itself is often the culprit for insomnia. People can't fall asleep because they are up mulling over their problems, or anxious feelings bubble up in the night, forcing the afflicted awake. These two ailments often go hand in hand, often triggering one another in a seemingly never ending cycle.

Causes of Anxiety

Many people may loose a few nights sleep over their worries. For the majority of the population, this only lasts a few days, but for some people anxiety disrupts sleep in the long term. Here are a few reasons keeping people up at night:

• Trauma: A traumatic event, such as a car accident or a violent attack, can cause severe anxiety and render the victim unable cope.
• Heredity: Some doctors have found anxious parents tend to have anxious children. This may be a disorder passed down generations through genetics.
• Stress: Stressful life situations such as troubled personal relationships, divorce, legal problems, financial difficulties and concerns about work also affect general anxiety levels.
• Childhood Events: Overcritical parents or traumatic events during childhood, may be carried into adulthood and cause anxiety disorders.

All of these causes for anxiety often manifest themselves in sleeping difficulties. Anxious and restless thoughts at bedtime will make the sufferer unable to relax and fall asleep.

Insomnia is most often a result of anxiety and depression, but there are other possible causes that can affect sleeping patterns as well.

• Caffeine: While caffeine can be useful to stay awake during the day, some people metabolize caffeine slower than others, so those few cups of coffee in the morning and afternoon could be keeping you awake at night.
• Alcohol: Some, to self medicate for sleeping problems, turn to alcohol as a sleep aid. This can result in irregular sleep, further disrupting sleeping patterns
• Napping: A good nap can be tempting during that afternoon slump, but a nap during the day can throw off your schedule and make you unable to fall asleep later that night.
• Medication: There are several medications that can cause irregular sleep such as antibiotics and mood stabilizers. Some people are even claiming the very medication that's supposed to help you sleep can cause insomnia in the long term.

Treatment

Fortunately, researchers are discovering more and more about the relationship between anxiety and insomnia. Often treating one's anxiety will solve many sleeping troubles ailing the patient. Other treatments are behavioral therapy to try and help the patient deal with the underlying problems that cause their anxiety and develop better sleeping habits, and medication to correct a possible chemical imbalance preventing a good night's sleep.

It's normal for most people to have the occasional restless night, or be kept up with worries from the day. But for some, anxiety and insomnia can have a crippling affect on their mental health and emotional well being. While an estimated 30% of Americans suffer from anxiety and insomnia, almost 95% go untreated. If you are anxious and have trouble sleeping, you should seek help from a doctor or therapist.