Sleep anxiety is one of the most common reasons behind insomnia or sleeplessness and it works both ways. For people with sleep anxiety, lack of sleep can worsen the symptoms, causing increased worry, irritability and even panic attacks so, good quality sleep helps us deal with stress and maintain our overall mental well-being.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Vasunethra Kasargod, Consultant – Pulmonology at Manipal Hospital in Millers Road, explained, “Anxiety neurosis is one of the reasons for patients have apprehensions about going to sleep and thus affecting the quality and quality of sleep. While few patients feel anxious in bed due to long hours of being awake during sleeplessness. Identifying the root cause is imperative in the treatment of the same. Sleep is a state when not just our body but even our mind also rests. Good quality of sleep is essential for good mental health and more so in patients with anxiety issues.”
She revealed, “Most patients with anxiety disorders do well with cognitive behavioral therapy. Also, good sleep hygiene is to be maintained. Sticking to Regular sleep timings, avoiding screen time, stimulants like coffee and tea, exercising, and reading before sleep will help. Stress and poor lifestyle is an important contributor to poor sleep hygiene. Most important is to allow the patient to understand the need to stay calm before going to sleep and not to worry about sleeplessness. Meditation and yoga definitely help. If not controlled by the above strategies, then pharmacological treatments in the form of tranquilizers or mood stabilizer might be necessary.”
Bringing his expertise to the same, Dr Shankar S Biradar, MBBS, Medical Director in association with Magniflex India in Bangalore, elaborated, “We know that it is essential to follow a bedtime routine to develop sleep discipline. We also know that exercise helps release endorphins and serotonin, aiding in better night sleep. But, what is often ignored is that using a high-quality mattress can address sleep anxiety and make falling asleep easier and quicker. A high-quality memoform mattress, customised to your body’s build, is crucial in promoting sleep. The faster you fall asleep, the quicker and longer you stay in the Deep Sleep stage that occurs in the early midnight. Deep sleep is the most crucial stage for brain health and function. In this stage, the brain rests and recuperates, which is essential for fighting mental illnesses. Visit a store that sells high-quality mattresses to get the first-hand experience and understand details about the mattresses that suits you the best with the help of trained staff at the store.”
Sleep deprivation can accentuate our emotions, which could then become intense and challenging to control. So, it is important we get quality sleep and in good measure, so as to remain emotionally strong, and bid goodbye to sleep anxiety symptoms.
