The fear and/or worry keeps the brain active and engaged in thoughts related to these negative emotions, making it difficult for the individual to find peace and get a good night’s sleep.Ī primary factor in having anxiety-induced insomnia is mental hyperarousal, which is the alertness of the mind and is usually marked by feelings of worry. As mentioned earlier, anxiety means having excess fear and/or worry, so if someone is constantly thinking about something that they fear or worry about, they can easily lose their sleep over it. In fact, it is common for insomnia to accompany anxiety. It is not rare for anxious individuals to have difficulty falling or staying asleep. But the general symptoms of an anxiety disorder include feeling nervous and tense, apprehension of what is to come, breathing rapidly, having an elevated heart rate, feeling tired, sweating, having trouble concentrating, having gastrointestinal (GI) problems, and also having difficulty sleeping. There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with slightly different symptoms depending on the type. When someone has an anxiety disorder, they have recurring persistent thoughts which are highly difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. In such cases, anxiety is not simply fear or anxiousness for a short while or a handful of instances, instead it is intense fear and excessive anxiety quite often – this is known as an anxiety disorder. Anxiety becomes a call for concern when it interferes with one’s life and daily activities, significantly impacting them for the worse. Fearing or apprehending about a job interview or first day at university may be called anxiety, but it is not maladaptive for the individual. It can, however, also be maladaptive and self-destructive. In some cases, it can help us deal with stressful situations and help the body prepare for “fight or flight” mode. It can cause feelings of worry, feeling tension and usually also comes with physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate. Pain and medication can also be sources of secondary insomnia, and so can substance abuse such as alcoholism.Īnxiety is essentially an emotion and is a normal bodily response to stress. Secondary insomnia occurs when some other health problem causes disturbed sleep, such as depression, asthma, cancer, and arthritis. Primary insomnia is easier to target and deal with as it is not associated with any other health conditions. Furthermore, insomnia can be primary or it can be secondary. Acute insomnia means it is short-lived and may last from one night to a few weeks.Ĭhronic insomnia, on the other hand, means it is a long-term disorder and lasts a minimum of three weeks and may even go beyond three months! Insomnia can also come and go from one’s life. Insomnia can either be acute, or it can be chronic. It is a fairly common sleep disorder, and people who have insomnia find it hard to fall asleep, and once they do fall asleep, it is difficult to stay asleep for a healthy amount of time. x Beta-blockers include drugs like Atenolol (Tenormin).Simply put, insomnia is a clinical term used to describe the phenomenon of frequently having problems while falling asleep. Common examples include:īeta-blockers are not known to be sedating and may have insomnia as a side-effect as they decrease the melatonin released in the brain. The primary use of these drugs is to induce sleep and so these drugs are often used to treat insomnia. Buspirone (Buspar) - not typically associated with sedation.Lorazepam (Ativan) - known to be sedative.Alprazolam (Xanax) - known to be sedative.It should be noted that some sedative drugs may cause rebound insomnia and an increase in anxiety during withdrawal. These medications relax the body and some are even specifically used to treat insomnia. Most of these drugs are considered light tranquilizers or sedatives.

Most anti-anxiety medications will help with getting to sleep. Learn more about anxiety medications and sleep.Īnxiety medications run the gamut from anti-anxiety drugs, to sedative-hypnotics, to antidepressants and beta-blockers. Most antianxiety medications cause drowsiness, while other anxiety medications may produce insomnia.

Medication for insomnia due to anxiety