Emotional Stress
Emotional stress in all its forms can contribute to
insomnia.
This includes everything from temporary anxieties to more serious forms of depression.
Temporary Anxieties
Temporary anxieties can cause undue stress, keeping your mind too active and making
you unable to relax. Concerns about work, school, health, or family—such as having
to give a presentation or periods of life change (a death in the family, a divorce)—can
lead to trouble sleeping.
Even boredom, perhaps after retirement or during a long illness, can create stress and keep you awake.
According to American Academy of Sleep Medicine spokesperson Dr. Ralph Downey III,
"Sleep and stress are competitors. When stress is continually activating a part
of the brain that is otherwise used for sleep, then stress wins the tug-of-war."
Short-term Insomnia
Short-term insomnia involves sleep problems that may last days or weeks, and can
be brought on by anxiety, worry, and tension. One cause of adjustment insomnia,
according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, is stress brought on by work.
People with short-term insomnia often are plagued with "ruminative thoughts." This
is when they run the same thoughts over and over in their minds, making sleep difficult
because they are obsessed with thinking about work. Even when they finally fall
asleep, people with this type of insomnia may even have dreams about work that can
affect the quality of their sleep.
A Staples National Small-Business Survey of 302 small business owners found that
more than 50% said that they dream about work. And a study that involved 8,770 Japanese
men and women, done by the journal Sleep, found that a high level of stress in the
work place was linked to insomnia.
You may not be able to avoid job stress, but you can do things to help your sleep
even when you are stressed out. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends
establishing a pattern of relaxing behaviors close to bedtime and limiting work
to the early evening in order to reduce stress. Practicing some
relaxation techniques
may also help.
Depression
Depression and sleep problems are closely linked. In fact, insomnia can be an early
sign of depression. You may either sleep too much or have trouble sleeping if you're
depressed. This may be due to chemical imbalances in your brain or because worries
that accompany depression may keep you from relaxing enough to fall asleep.
It is important that you consult your healthcare provider about your sleep problems.
If you have a history of depression, let your healthcare provider know, even if
you do not currently have symptoms; this information will help your healthcare provider
recommend the most appropriate sleep solutions for you.
For some help dealing with emotional stress, try practicing some
relaxation techniques.
Next: Physical Health