What should you do if you're having trouble sleeping as a result of anxiety or panic? Talk to your doctor, psychiatrist, therapist or other treatment provider. It's important to rule out physical causes first. Be sure to discuss all symptoms with your treatment provider. You may want to keep a journal of your sleep habits: when you go to sleep and wake up each day; how long it takes to get to sleep and what keeps you from getting to sleep; and what happens if you wake during the night. Sleep disorders can co-occur with anxiety disorders, so don't try to treat yourself without talking to a professional. You'll want to discuss all treatment options and how self-help can fit into your regimen.
Because the question of what to do about anxiety at night comes up so often on our community forum, our community members have come together with some excellent self-help suggestions for getting to sleep as well as coping with panic in the night. These suggestions are a great starting point for finding out what can work for you.
- "When I feel an attack coming on, I take a small amount of Xanax; drink a lot of water; take a shower; and either get in bed and go to sleep or turn the TV on LOW and watch something funny or cute on TV. NO NEWS CHANNELS!! It also helps me to look into a mirror and talk, telling myself, 'OK! This is silly. You are FINE! You are NOT having a heart attack or dying. You will NOT let this symptom bring on all the others.' Sometimes I even make faces at myself: stick out my tongue!" -- Sunshine432
- "I get online to someone in my support group. If no one is online I find a dumb program on TV; to me, being able to laugh at a movie is a good distraction. Plus, my cats help as they want to play at that time." -- DreamDancer7
- "Somehow being alone makes me more frightened and more prone to panicking. If you have a significant other, I would recommend having them around when you're falling asleep, as support." -- MolzyBomb
- "What do i usually do? I PRAY!!! I'm a Catholic. I light the candle and pray the rosary until the panic subsides. It does." -- Aileen
- "I try to not be afraid of my symptoms, to tell myself that they aren't anything to worry about. I also try to talk to someone; talking helps me to realize that my symptoms aren't as scary as they seem." -- SherrBear