3 Ways to Decrease Anxiety at Night

3 Ways to Decrease Anxiety at Night

Is anxiety keeping you up at night?

All you want to do at night is fall asleep, but anxiety is telling you, “Yeah, about that.  I don’t think so.”  You toss and turn feeling increasing restless.  Your mind tells you that 12:00 AM is a great time to think about the statement you made during a work meeting and second guess it.  Then you decide to think of anything and everything that you ever said that could be seen as embarrassing.  Your heart starts to race and all you want to do is sleep.  What is there to do?

Coping Skills

1. Be mindful of your caffeine intake.  According to WebMD, caffeine should be stopped four to six hours before bedtime.  Not only can caffeine keep you awake, it can also make you feel jittery which can stimulate feelings of anxiety.  It is hard not feel anxious when caffeine intake is high.

2. Meditation.  Guided meditations can be relaxing and help you to shift your mind to focus on being in the moment (rather than thinking of what you said at yesterday’s staff meeting).  Thank goodness for today’s smart phone technology.  There are several meditation apps which may be helpful such as Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer.  They have several programs which will guide you through a mediation. 

3. Journal.  If you are in bed, try getting out of bed and write down what you’re thinking about.  Sometimes it’s a to-do list and sometimes it’s worry about a stressor.  This is not homework.  Spelling, grammar, and paragraphs do not count.  Write out your thoughts however they come out.  Writing your thoughts down can help to reduce replaying them over and over in your head.  Get your thoughts out of your head and on to paper.

Counseling in Colchester, CT

If you are struggling with anxious thoughts at night and find it difficult to turn off the racing thoughts, set up a counseling appointment.  Call 860-888-2516 or email to set up a phone consultation today.  Your sleep and your emotional well-being are important!