Anxiety Causes Insomnia?

[leorichard069]

Please share your knowledge on this i.e. Does Anxiety Causes Insomnia?

[Paxiled]

First, if you're on medication, don't take what was recommended -- meds and these things don't go together, especially antidepressant.  Know that St. John's wort isn't an anti-anxiety drug, it's an antidepressant for some people, and often antidepressants are stimulating.  This isn't a sleep herb or a relaxant.  Tryptophan doesn't pass the blood/brain barrier for most people, so it won't work most likely either.  There is a form of it that does pass, called 5-HTP, but this acts like an antidepressant as well, which means it could make you sleepy or it could agitate you.  You have to build this up until your brain gets used to it to see what the effect is, and it can have side effects as antidepressants do.  The dosage varies by the person.  More common relaxants that are more predicatable are substances such as valerian, hops, chamomile, skullcap, kava (don't take if you have liver problems), lemon balm, and many many others.  The antidepressants affect serotonin, which is unpredictable in how it will affect you or if it will affect you.  The relaxants mentioned affect GABA.  But if anxiety is a problem for you and is the cause of your insomnia, the best thing to do is try to deal with the anxiety.  Therapy with a psychologist specializing in anxiety treatment is one way to do this.  Relaxation exercises, such as meditation, can be really helpful.  One of the best sleep aids is melatonin, the hormone made by serotonin in the body that sets our sleep clock.  Lots of things to try,  You don't give enough description of your life for us to know if anxiety is the problem or you just have a sleep disorder, which can be caused by things unrelated to anxiety, but if it is anxiety, that's what you want to address.  Good luck.

[SassyLassie]

Hello~The answer to this is a definite YES!!!! Anxiety is one of the top reasons for insomnia.

Before bed, try drinking some calming herbal teas, take two L-Tryptophan or St. Johns Wort capsules right before bed as well. Try to avoid any stimulating things such as coffee, watching an exciting drama on TV or even being on the computer.

Sometimes having white noise helps sleep as well, try using a fan during the night, this is very relaxing.

I hope you get some sleep soon.