Why Do I Feel More Anxious at Night?
"Whether you’re ticking through tomorrow’s to-do list or dwelling on past regrets, it’s normal for worries and fears to surface at night, experts say.
The cruel connection between anxiety and sleep
Anxiety can surface at any time, but there are a few reasons it may feel more intense at bedtime, said Candice Alfano, director of the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston at the University of Houston. “Most of us are incredibly busy during the waking hours; our attention is pulled in many different directions, so we have limited time to think about our worries,” she said. “But at night, while we lie in bed, there are few distractions from the thoughts that make us anxious.”
How to slow anxious thoughts at night
- Establish a caffeine cut-off. Caffeine’s half-life is approximately five hours, meaning if you have an eight-ounce cup of coffee at 4 p.m., you’ll still have half that cup’s caffeine in your system by 9 p.m. That’s a problem because caffeine not only keeps you awake, it’s also known for making anxiety symptoms worse, Dr. Chellappa said. Instead, consider sipping your last cup of coffee at least 10 hours before your bedtime.
- Put your worries onto paper. If you’re prone to overthinking at night, both Dr. Alfano and Dr. Pelayo recommended writing in a journal at the end of the day. Just focusing on your responsibilities might help make sleep a little easier. In a 2019 study, researchers found that those without clinical anxiety who spent five minutes writing to-do lists before going to sleep, fell asleep faster than those who wrote in their journals about completed tasks.
- Give yourself something to look forward to. If you can give yourself something to look forward to in the morning — a nice breakfast, a walk, your favorite podcast — you have positive thoughts to draw on, which can replace some of the more negative ones keeping you awake."
Read the full article on The New York Times
✨Takeaway: Anxiety might feel more intense at bedtime due to limited distractions and increased awareness of safety. The article offers tips on how to slow anxious thoughts at night such as setting a caffeine cut-off, writing down worries and responsibilities in a journal, and giving ourselves something to look forward to.
✨Reflection: Do you feel more anxious at night then during the day?
#Emotions #Anxiety #Night #Anxious #MentalHealth #Sleep
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@innateJoy9602 I have horrible anxiety at night. I found out a little while ago it's because it was never safe at night growing up. Night time often brings us closer to people who abused us. Or both parents were home at that time so there might have been fighting
@mytwistedsoul
I’m very sorry for that soul. <3 Anxiety overall really is the worst. I can imagine how much harder it would be having to go through that. Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure at night. 💜💜
@innateJoy9602 Thank you for your reply ❤️ I'm sorry too - I think sometimes when I talk about things here it might affect the mood a thread or it just makes people feel bad. I'm sorry for that
@mytwistedsoul
No worries at all! I appreciate the authenticity<3 Never need to apologize for being real. 💜
@innateJoy9602 thank you ❤️
@mytwistedsoul I'm so sorry to hear this. I've always found night time to be relaxing, definitely better than day time. I hope one day you can create new memory that cleanses all the negative memory you've experience during night time.
@brightPenguin4569 Thank you! 🙂
I agree that at bedtime is when we would feel more anxious compared to the daytime. Less distractions, being alone in a dark room or with a nightlight, when windows are closed, the silence feeds onto the voices in our heads. Some people also tend to use the nighttime to reflect on things that happened during the day. Those things may or may not bring anxiety, depending on what occurred.
I'm lucky with the caffeine, it doesn't affect me. I could drink a cup before bed, and still sleep. The only reason I drink coffee is the pure love of the flavour of the coffee itself (that's also why I drink it black).
On the contrary though, I can't be looking forward to things the next day. It would make me more anxious. If it's a positive thing, I might be too excited to sleep. Or if it's something like having a doctor's appointment in the morning, or even needing to wake up extra early for work, would cause me anxiety where I'm afraid of things like my alarm not sounding, that I'll dismiss the alarm, or if needing to drive to appointments, I'll be worried about parking or if it'll be raining..
So, the anxiety will either keep me up all night, or I'll end up waking a few times throughout the night.
@innateJoy9602
@Jaeteuk
Oooh very luck with caffeine indeed!! I’m jealous! I love coffee as well, but only drink it at the morning for that reason. :p
Also, I can see how the anticipation may make you antsy or anxious. Interesting point!💜
Than* not then.
@secretNorth5129
ooops! thank you for the correction <3 :)💜
That comment was for the 7 Cups people, the mistake was on their article.
Ohhh this hits me so strongly!! I have very strong anxiety can be totally crippling at times 😥😥😥😥❤❤❤
Self care is extremely important to those that suffer from anxiety
I'vealways been a very very emotional person and always been impacted by anxiousness and depression ❤❤❤❤
@LovelyFrog8934
Sorry you suffer from it! <3
I completely agree! Self-care is essential.
Also, reminding ourselves to be more gentle with ourselves! Hope you are well frog <3 💜
Awww thank you so much for asking ❤
I'm ok not 100% right now but I will be in time ❤❤😩
@LovelyFrog8934
You will be!
We are always here for you <3
@innateJoy9602 interesting insights
@BismaKanwal
Thank you for taking the time to read! :) 💜