Anxiety at Night
It is common to feel more anxious at night. There are several possible reasons for this including having fewer distractions at night and being more aware of our environment and surroundings at night, which ties back to evolution and the need to be hyper-aware of predators. In the modern world, a “predator” may be a work presentation.
We can’t sleep when we are anxious because anxiety is telling us a threat may be present, even when it is not, causing us to be alert and stay awake. And the worse we sleep, the more anxious we tend to feel leading to a vicious cycle.
This NYT article discusses how you can decrease anxiety at night. Tips include stopping caffeine use about 10 hours before bedtime, caffeine has a long half-life, and writing out worries. Writing out your worries for a few minutes at a scheduled time each day can decrease worry at night because you are giving your worries a place to go and, with consistent practice, teaching your brain when to worry.
Scheduled Worry Time
Schedule a consistent time each day to worry. Your maximum worry time should be 30 minutes, yet it can be less. 5, 10, or 15 minutes may be all you need. During your scheduled worry time, set a timer for the allotted time, and sit and write out your worries. You don’t need to write a novel; brief notes are fine. You can either simply write out your worries and leave it at that. Or, you can draw a vertical line down a sheet of paper and on the left-hand side of the line, write out your worries. On the right-hand side of the line, next to each worry, write out one small step you can take to address the worry or one coping skill you can use to manage the stress associated with the worry. For example, take a walk, call a friend, practice mindful breathing, etc. This is important if what you are worrying about is not something you can control.
When your scheduled time is up, tell yourself your worries are on the paper and you don’t need to hold them in your head. You can refer back to your paper if needed. Go about your day and if you start worrying later on, tell yourself you can think about that during your scheduled worry time the next day.
With consistent practice, scheduled worry time helps contain worrying to the scheduled time of day and decreases worry and mental activity at night, often leading to better quality sleep.
To learn more about strategies for decreasing anxiety, please contact us at CBTDenver.