Nighttime Anxiety: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Nighttime anxiety is not as popular as insomnia. However, it can affect children and adults alike. Symptoms, causes, treatment: this is what you need to know about this sleep disorder.

Symptoms are usually intense

Nighttime anxiety is manifested by an anxiety attack during the night, also called a panic attack. Unlike anxiety, a natural phenomenon triggered in the event of danger, the anxiety attack occurs suddenly for no apparent reason. Symptoms are intense: chest and abdominal pain, increased heart rate (tachycardia), nausea, dizziness, vomiting, feeling of suffocation ... In addition to these physical disorders, mental disorders are noted, dominated by a feeling of imminent death and a desire to hide and disappear.

Psychological, but also physical causes

We don’t know much about nocturnal anxiety, but several causes have already been identified. Stress and anxiety can be, in particular, significant factors, often leading to be trapped in a vicious cycle: after the first anxiety attack, concerned people stress over going to bed and experiencing it all over again, which inevitably leads to a new episode of nocturnal panic which in turn makes them stress even more the night after, etc.

There are also physical causes: sleep apnea, particularly, is to blame. By dropping blood oxygen levels, this respiratory disorder actually drives the brain to release a stress hormone, hence the anxiety attack. Some cases can also be due to gastric reflux. More generally, all the elements that disrupt the quality of sleep are risk factors. Drinking coffee or alcohol shortly before going to bed, for example, is not recommended.

How to treat it?

In order to fight the condition, relaxation is essential. You can, for example, practice sophrology exercises to help calming your mind before bedtime. Similarly, it is always recommended to make pre-sleep meditation a daily habit. Traditional Reiki can also do wonders in some cases. Another solution to clear the mind is to write down your thoughts on a sheet of paper 15 minutes before going to bed. Finally, if your nighttime anxiety is related to any physical disorder, it is important to see a doctor for an appropriate treatment.