How to Deal With Stress Insomnia

Stress insomnia is when high levels of stress and anxiety prevent you from getting adequate sleep. Are you so stressed about finances, your job, a relationship conflict, or another issue that you're experiencing insomnia?

At any given time, about one-third of adults have insomnia in some form. Although these sleep issues aren't always due to stress, when the two are combined, it can make matters worse.

A sleep deficit can make you feel mentally slower and more emotional; for instance, can end up making your experience of stress worse. And if your insomnia is stress-related, being overly tired does nothing to help solve the problems creating the stress.

Stress and Insomnia: How They Are Connected

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder characterized by problems falling or staying asleep. This can disrupt sleep quality and cause problems with sleep deprivation and fatigue. 

Insomnia can be connected to problems with stress and anxiety. Lying awake worring about problems that are creating stress can make it difficult to fall asleep, and can even cause waking during the the night.

When you experience stress insomnia, you are also more likely to have problems with:

• Fatigue
• Daytime sleepiness
• Irritability
• Poor motivation
• Difficulty focusing
• Sleep anxiety
• Depression
• Problems with coordination
• Accidents caused by excessive sleepiness

Types of Stress Insomnia

Stress-related insomnia can take different forms. The type of stress you are experiencing can determine how severe and lasting your insomnia might be.

Acute Stress

Sometimes it's related to a sudden but temporary source of stress and anxiety. Examples of acute stressors that can interfere with sleep include:

• Being sick
• Getting into an argument with a friend
• Having an important project at work due
• Getting an unexpected bill
• Having a conflict with your partner

While challenging, sleep issues related to these stressors tend to resolve on their own with time. Taking steps to improve sleep and care for yourself may be helpful.

Chronic Stress

In other instances, chronic stress can create long-term issues with insomnia. Examples of chronic stressors that can interfere with sleep include:

• Chronic health conditions
• Poverty
• Job dissatisfaction or burnout
• Divorce
• Unhealthy relationships
• Discrimination
• Poor environmental conditions
• Mental health conditions
• Poor work-life balance

Stress and insomnia become a vicious cycle. Experiencing chronic stress can cause insomnia, and insomnia then makes chronic stress worse.

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How to Deal With Stress Insomnia

Fortunately, there are a number of strategies that can help you learn to better manage stress a, which may help make it easier to fall and stay asleep.

Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Tension in your body can make it difficult to sleep. You may not even realize when you're stressed about something, but your body can still feel the physical effects of stress, leaving muscles tensed up as a result.

Progressive muscle relaxation has been an accepted evidence-based treatment for insomnia for years. It is also a great tool for de-stressing your body.

To practice progressive muscle relaxation for stress-related insomnia:

• Find a quiet place to sit or lie down.
• Tense the muscles in your face, hold for a count of eight, then let them go.
• Keep tensing and releasing your face muscles until you feel relaxed.
• Next, move on to the muscles in your neck, holding them tight for a count of eight, then letting them go.
• Keep tensing and releasing your neck muscles until you feel relaxed.
• Continue this tense-relax pattern, working your way down all the muscles in your body.

Journal About Your Stressors

The act of journaling carries several health and stress management benefits. In the stress-insomnia cycle, journaling can help you clear your mind, process strong emotions that are causing you to lose sleep, and brainstorm and construct plans that can help you manage the situations causing you stress.

Change Your Perspective

If you're losing sleep due to stress, you may be able to relax and get better sleep with a change of perspective. The benefit of this approach is that it can help break the stress-insomnia connection.

Looking at a situation from different angles can help you see opportunities you may have missed. Cognitive restructuring—which involves recognizing and changing the way you think—helps you change your perspective about a stressful situation.

Stress-related anxiety (and the insomnia it creates) is often a natural response to situations that need some sort of action. Viewing your situation as a challenge to be faced rather than a threat can help you get into an active, decision-making mode rather than remaining in an anxious, passive state.

Take the Pressure Off Sleep

If you are experiencing stress insomnia symptoms, bedtime itself can become stressful. If this is where you are, there are a few things you can do to take the stress off falling and staying asleep.

First, if you're having trouble sleeping and are sure that sleep is a long way off, you might want to get up and do something else. This stops you from watching the clock for hours and can help you feel more in control of your time as you engage in other activities, such as:

• Reading a book
• Getting small things done around the house
• Participating in other not-too-stimulating activities that can help foster sleep when you're ready

It can also help to avoid caffeine during the afternoon and evening. Also, make the decision to use your bedroom primarily for sleep so that you associate it with rest and relaxation as opposed to stress.

Get Help for Your Stress Insomnia

Many people who suffer from insomnia do not seek help. This is unfortunate because treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy and medication can provide relief. These can help you take charge of your stress-related insomnia.

If you're experiencing persistent insomnia, talk to your healthcare provider about your options. They can provide the best stress insomnia remedies for you given your stressors and your individual situation.