What to do if I feel sleep anxiety while I go to sleep

If you are experiencing sleep anxiety as you try to fall asleep, here are some strategies that may be helpful:

1. Calm Your Sympathetic Nervous System: Before going to bed, engage in activities that promote relaxation and calmness, such as deep breathing exercises or meditation 1. This can help to calm your fight-or-flight response and prepare your body for rest.

2. Mental Distraction: Consider taking yourself on a mental walk or imagining a peaceful and pleasant environment to distract your mind from anxieties that may prevent you from sleeping 2.

3. Catharsis: Write down your concerns in a "worry journal" an hour or two before bed. This can help to clear your mind and metaphorically "close down the emotional tabs" that might keep you awake 2.

4. Avoid Full Bladder: Ensure that you do not go to bed with a full bladder as this can cause anxiety and disrupt sleep. Instead, manage your fluid intake before bedtime 3.

   Sleep and Trauma

   Andrew Huberman

   Gina Poe

   Gina explains how to reduce the amount of norepinephrine released during rapid eye movement sleep to eliminate troubling or traumatic memories. She suggests avoiding anything that might excite the sympathetic nervous system before sleep, such as stress-inducing video games, and instead recommends deep breathing exercises or calming activities. Additionally, she discusses the potential benefits of estrogen in protecting against PTSD and the importance of understanding how the locus coeruleus functions during sleep in women.

   

   Huberman Lab

   Dr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State | Huberman Lab Podcast

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5. Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) Protocols: Practice NSDR protocols such as hypnosis, yoga nidra, or clinically tested tools for anxiety reduction. These protocols can teach your nervous system to turn off thoughts and induce sleep without requiring medication 4.

Remember to consult with a healthcare provider for personalized guidance, especially if sleep anxiety continues to be a persistent problem.

Here are some relaxation techniques for managing sleep anxiety that you can try:

1. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Start with tensing the muscles in your toes and then consciously relax them. Continue this process progressively throughout the body, all the way to your head. This helps to focus on your body rather than on your own mental processes and promotes whole-body relaxation 1.

2. Long Exhale Breathing: Concentrate on breathing techniques that emphasize long exhalations. This type of breathing can enhance the probability of transitioning back into sleep and generally induces a calmer state 1.

3. Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR): These are protocols such as Yoga Nidra that involve lying down and performing specific breathing exercises, typically involving long exhales. The key is to shift toward a state of deeper relaxation, which helps pave the way for sleep 2.

4. Yawning: Intentionally yawning can serve as a relaxation cue for the brain. It involves tensing and then relaxing the muscles in your face, which can be calming and facilitate the onset of sleep 1.

5. Hypnosis: Hypnosis is a type of NSDR that has been scientifically supported to not only induce deep relaxation but can also be specifically directed towards improving learning within the brain and managing anxiety 2.

These are techniques aimed at inducing deep relaxation and fostering better sleep quality. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional for personalized advice if your sleep anxiety persists.