Anxiety and Sleep: Breaking the Cycle of Insomnia

Supporting yourself to break the cycle of poor sleep and anxiety.

The cycle of poor sleep and anxiety

A good night’s sleep is fundamental for emotional and physical wellbeing. Yet for many people living with anxiety, falling or staying asleep can feel like an impossible task. Racing thoughts, restlessness, and heightened alertness often keep the mind active long after the body is ready to rest. Over time, this pattern can create a frustrating cycle where anxiety makes it difficult to sleep, and poor sleep increases anxiety.

The good news is that this cycle can be understood and changed. By recognising how anxiety and sleep interact, and by using practical, evidence-based strategies, it’s possible to gradually re-establish healthy sleep patterns.

Key Insights

• Between 70-80% of people with anxiety also struggle with insomnia (Palagini et al., 2024) .

• Sleep difficulties are also common and around one in three adults experience symptoms of insomnia over their life.

• Anxiety makes it harder to fall asleep by keeping your body and mind alert.

• Poor sleep makes anxiety worse by affecting your ability to manage stress and emotions.

• Persistent insomnia can affect mood, concentration, immune health, and emotional regulation.

• Cognitive-behavioural strategies and lifestyle changes are highly effective for improving both anxiety and sleep.

What Is Insomnia?

Everyone’s sleep needs are different. While some people require 8 or 9 hours of sleep, others feel refreshed with 6 or 7. Your sleep patterns naturally shift from night to night and change as you grow older. However, when sleep troubles persist and cause significant disruption to daily functioning, it may be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder that requires additional support.

Insomnia is more than just occasional difficulty falling asleep. It is a long-standing sleep disorder characterised by trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up too early and being unable to return to sleep.

There are two main types: acute and chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia typically arises after a stressful event and may resolve on its own. However, chronic insomnia is enduring and often maintained by unhelpful thoughts and behaviours around sleep. Addressing these underlying patterns is an essential component of insomnia treatment.

How Anxiety Can Affect Insomnia

Anxiety and insomnia are closely connected. Anxiety activates the body’s “fight-or-flight” system, releasing stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals are designed to increase arousal when we perceive a threat. However, when anxiety is ongoing, this system can remain active long after the stressful event has passed. This is the opposite of what your body needs to fall asleep. 

Your thoughts play a big role in this too. When you're anxious, your mind races with worries and "what if" thoughts. These thoughts get louder at bedtime when you don't have daily activities to distract you. This activity not only keeps you from falling asleep but can cause nighttime awakenings. 

After several nights of poor sleep, many people start to worry about not being able to sleep itself. This creates even more anxiety, which makes sleeping harder. Many people may start to anticipate a bad night’s sleep, leading to more anxiety as bedtime approaches. This is known as conditioned arousal, meaning the mind learns to connect bedtime with increased wakefulness instead of relaxation.

Impact of Insomnia

The consequences of chronic insomnia extend beyond just feeling tired. Sleep deprivation also has effects on many aspects of physical and mental health. 

For instance, insomnia is associated with:

• Poor mood: Lack of sleep can increase irritability, reduce our patience and decrease concentration.

• Decreased emotional regulation: Sleep loss amplifies the brain’s emotional centres, making everyday stress feel more overwhelming.

• Poor physical health: Long-term sleep deprivation is linked to lowered immune function, cardiovascular strain, and increased inflammation.

• Reduced cognitive function: Poor sleep can impair memory, decision-making, and reaction time.

• Mental health challenges: Insomnia increases vulnerability to anxiety and depression. 

Tips for Breaking the Insomnia Cycle

Improving sleep often requires working with both the mind and the body. Below are practical, evidence-informed strategies used by psychologists and sleep specialists to restore a healthier sleep pattern.

1. Create a consistent routine: Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends. A predictable routine helps regulate your body’s internal clock and makes it easier to fall asleep naturally.

2. Improve sleep hygiene: Sleep hygiene is a term used to describe a set of habits that promote healthy sleep. This can include keeping a consistent bedtime routine, avoiding stimulants like caffeine and limiting screen time in bed. This trains the brain to associate the bed with relaxation rather than stimulation. If you can’t sleep after about 20 minutes, do something calming (like reading a book under dim light), and return to bed when you feel sleepy.

3. Practise relaxation before bed: Relaxation training such as gentle breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation can help calm the nervous system. People experiencing insomnia often show greater arousal when it is time for bed, practicing relaxation consistently can help counteract this response and support the transition to sleep.

4. Challenge unhelpful thoughts: When anxious thoughts arise at night, it can help to write them down and remind yourself that they can be revisited in the morning. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) also focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts that may be contributing to sleep difficulties. By reframing these patterns and learning healthier coping strategies, CBT-I helps reduce sleep-related anxiety and restore confidence in your ability to rest.

5. Seek professional support: If insomnia persists beyond a few weeks, consulting a psychologist or GP is a positive next step. Treatments like Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) are highly effective and supported by extensive research. In some cases, short-term medication may also be discussed to reset sleep patterns under medical guidance.

Take the First Step

Breaking the cycle of anxiety and insomnia is possible. At Reach Psychology, we offer compassionate, evidence-based support for individuals navigating insomnia, sleep difficulties and anxiety. 

Our psychologist will work collaboratively to find the therapeutic technique best suited to you and your challenges. They can assess whether underlying conditions are contributing to your sleep difficulties and recommend appropriate treatments, which might include therapy, medication, or a combination of approaches. 

At Reach Psychology, we provide support both in-person in Melbourne Bayside (near Brighton and Hampton), and via Telehealth if that feels more accessible for you.

The journey toward better sleep begins with a single step, and that step starts today.

References

Palagini, L., Miniati, M., Caruso, V., Alfi, G., Geoffroy, P. A., Domschke, K., Riemann, D., Gemignani, A., & Pini, S. (2024). Insomnia, anxiety and related disorders: A systematic review on clinical and therapeutic perspective with potential mechanisms underlying their complex link. Neuroscience Applied, 3, 103936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nsa.2024.103936.