How to Cope with an Anxiety Sleep Disorder We recharge ourselves each time we sleep, so it is important that we get a good night's rest to enable us to face the different challenges our daily lives offer.
Sometimes, though, there are things that can disrupt our sleep and render us tired and fatigued the next day.
Things such as an anxiety attack can keep us awake with worry all night long.
If stress and different things such as work, a bad marriage or debt disrupt our sleep regularly and start affecting our daily lives, this can lead to an anxiety sleep disorder.
To be able to understand sleep disorders better, we have to first understand how anxiety attacks happen and how they affect us.
All of us have had a panic attack at least once in our lives.
When we get stressed, the brain releases anxiety hormones called cortisol and adrenaline, which prepares our body ready to fight or flee from perceived danger.
These hormones dilate our pupils, increase our heart rate, tense our muscles and cause our glands to produce excessive amounts of sweat.
There are times, though, that an anxiety attack can occur at night or for little reason, causing us to have restless sleep or no sleep at all.
If this happens to us regularly and we do not seek professional help, this may lead to an anxiety sleep disorder.
Sometimes the opposite happens: we get little sleep at night, thereby impairing our bodies ability to function properly.
This lack of sleep can cause panic attacks more frequently since the part of the brain that handles depression and anxiety is disrupted when we do not get enough sleep.
Types of medication that are prescribed for people suffering from panic attacks and depression can also cause insomnia.
This leads to sleep deprivation and anxiety and becomes a seemingly endless cycle which can lead to an anxiety related sleep disorder.
Tired eyes and fatigue are not the only consequences of sleeplessness.
We may develop diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease if we have an anxiety sleep disorder.
The effective way to be able to overcome this disorder is through proper medication and therapy.
Sleep specialists suggest cutting back on caffeine such as coffee, soda and dark chocolate as well as getting enough exercise and eating healthily.
Meditation and proper breathing exercises can also help people cope with sleep disorders.
Another effective technique to get good sleep cycles is to keep your bedroom as conducive as possible to resting and sleeping.
Take out the television or other stimulating devices and try not to read in bed.
It is also best to meditate and breathe deeply with your eyes closed while in bed to help you get to sleep.
Although most people do not really understand that sleep is as essential to us as breathing, it is a very important part of living that can affect how our minds and bodies function properly.
A good night's rest can also help us deal with the different stresses of life.
The key to combating an anxiety sleep disorders is learning to relax and practicing proper sleeping habits.