Do you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, unable to quiet your mind no matter how tired you are? If so, you are not alone. This is a common struggle for millions worldwide, especially people with anxiety disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
GAD is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a wide range of everyday concerns.
While it is normal to feel anxious from time to time, GAD takes worry to a whole new level, with thoughts that often spiral out of control and seem impossible to quiet.
This constant undercurrent of anxiety can make it difficult to quiet the mental chatter and achieve restful sleep.
Here are some examples of racing thoughts that can keep you awake:
- An uncontrollable flood of “what ifs” about work, relationships, or health.
- Replaying past interactions, analyzing and reanalyzing every word, fueling self-doubt and worry.
- Replaying past events or anxieties.
- Worrying about tomorrow’s activities or future scenarios that may never happen.
Sleep anxiety, a common symptom of GAD, is a fear or apprehension about sleep itself. The act of trying (and failing) to sleep can become another source of worry, creating a vicious cycle that perpetuates the problem.
The physical sensations of sleep anxiety can be just as distressing as the mental turmoil. Your heart may race, your muscles may tense up, and you may feel a knot in your stomach that refuses to loosen.
While sleep anxiety feels overwhelming, there are effective strategies and techniques to calm your mind and drift off to sleep peacefully.
Body scans
Body scans are a common type of mindful meditation involving focusing your attention on different parts of your body, from your toes to the top of your head, and noticing any tension or discomfort.
Research found that incorporating deep breathing and body scan meditations combined with music into one’s bedtime routine improved sleep quality and quality of life in older adults.
Additionally, a study found that using body scans in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) intervention was effective for adolescents with insomnia and co-occurring anxiety.
You can do body scans alone, or there are phone apps available with sleep meditations that include body scans. One free app is Insight Timer. You can also research other apps and find the best one for you. Remember to turn your phone brightness down to the lowest setting an hour before bed.
Body scans help to bring awareness to physical sensations and can be particularly helpful for individuals with GAD who experience somatic symptoms of anxiety, such as muscle tension or a racing heartbeat.
Try out this quick body scan technique: As you imagine scanning each body part, notice areas of tension and release them with each breath. Allow your muscles to relax and your body to sink into the bed.
The key to body scanning is that it is just an observation and does not involve a reaction.
Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body, progressively moving through your whole body.
This technique is easy to learn and can reduce anxiety and insomnia by activating your body’s relaxation response. Tensing and releasing your muscles causes your breathing to slow down and your heart rate and blood pressure to drop. It also lowers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
Starting with your toes and working your way up to your head, tense each muscle group for a few seconds before releasing the tension completely.
You can do this alone or use a guided sleep meditation that includes this technique. You can find sleep meditations on an app or YouTube, particularly if you have YouTube Premium to avoid ad interuptions.
Research found that progressive muscle relaxation reduced anxiety and improved sleep quality in patients with COVID-19, who were experiencing significant anxiety and poor sleep due to being treated in isolation. The same results have been found for burn patients, who “experience a high level of anxiety and poor sleep quality.”
Furthermore, a study investigating the effects of progressive muscle relaxation on nursing students found that their anxiety levels significantly reduced
Try this quick progressive muscle relaxation exercise: Tense the muscles in your face so it looks all scrunched up. Hold this for 10 seconds while ensuring you are taking deep, even breaths. Now release the muscles. How do you feel?
Mindfulness
Mindfulness involves bringing your attention to the present moment without judgment. This practice can be particularly helpful if you have GAD and struggle with rumination and worry about the future.
A study found that app-based mindfulness training decreases emotional reactivity, worry, and sleep disturbance. Thus, mindfulness-related apps can help people for whom worry disturbs their sleep.
Another study found that meditation apps can “improve depression and anxiety in adults with sleep disturbance, with effects being driven by improvements in pre-sleep arousal.” The participants in this study had “elevated insomnia and limited or no previous experience with meditation.”
Incorporating mindfulness into your nighttime routine can help to quiet racing thoughts and promote relaxation. Techniques such as breath awareness or guided meditations can help with this.
Try this quick mindful breathing technique: Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your body, noticing the sensations of each inhale and exhale such as your belly moving in and out. When your mind inevitably wanders, gently guide your attention back to your breath without judgment.
Another way in which you can incorporate mindfulness at bedtime is to focus on the physical sensations of lying in bed. Notice the way your body feels sinking into the mattress, the weight of the covers over you, and the contact of your head on the pillow.
Mindfulness can help anchor you in the present moment rather than past regrets or anxieties about the future, making it easier to fall asleep. It is about being fully present in your physical reality instead of staying trapped in anxious thoughts, worries, and what-ifs.
A key with mindfulness is to not fight the anxiety, but rather approach those anxious feelings with gentle, focused awareness.
Grounding techniques
Grounding techniques involve using your senses to anchor yourself in the present moment.
These techniques can be helpful for individuals with GAD who experience feelings of dissociation, detachment, or disconnection during periods of heightened anxiety.
One psychological approach for grounding and alleviating anxiety is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which you can use before bed.
Try out this 5-4-3-2-1 technique now: Name five things in your bedroom that you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Anxiety therapist Dr. Sarah Allen recommends seven “grounding techniques for calming down quickly”, including letting your thoughts come and go without responding to them. “For each thought that comes to mind, allow that thought to take its place on a leaf and watch it blow away in the wind.”
Author and Spiritual Teacher Tammy Mastroberte suggests several grounding techniques:
- “Earthing” practices such as walking barefoot (especially in nature) or laying on the ground.
- The “legs up the wall” yoga pose, which calms the nervous system.
- Grounding essential oils such as vetiver, sandalwood, frankincense, patchouli, white fir, black spruce, elong elong, and pine cedarwood. There are also blends made specifically for grounding.
- Put a couple of drops into a bath or an electric diffuser.
Visualization
Visualization involves imagining a peaceful and calming scene or experience in your mind’s eye. This can help you if you struggle with intrusive thoughts or worry at night.
Visualization exercises can stimulate your body’s natural relaxation response. The Sleep Foundation explains that “these techniques rely on using mental images to create a sense of well-being in the body, which can reduce stress and help you fall asleep.”
You can visualize yourself in this peaceful setting, taking in the sights, sounds, and sensations around you. As you immerse yourself in the scene, allow yourself to let go of any worries or anxieties weighing on your mind.
Try out this quick visualization technique: Close your eyes and try creating a mental image of a place where you feel safe and relaxed, such as a beach, forest, or your favorite park. Imagine yourself walking barefoot in this place and imagine there is a gentle breeze that surrounds you. Imagine the sensations you feel.
You can find guided imagery sessions or visualization meditations online, on YouTube, through meditation apps, or by working with a therapist specializing in relaxation techniques for anxiety and sleep disorders.
Guided meditations often include soothing music, calming narration, and visualization exercises to help quiet the mind and induce a state of tranquility to promote sleep.
There are even sleep podcasts that may include visualizations and that you can listen to when winding down before bed.
Environmental changes
The Sleep Foundation explains that “a relaxing environment is essential for a good night’s rest. Studies have shown people simply sleep better when their bedroom is optimized for light and noise levels, temperature, and comfort.”
Invest in blackout curtains to block out light, use white noise or earplugs to mask disruptive sounds, and ensure your mattress and pillows are comfortable and supportive.
Limit screen time before bed (i.e. the use of TVs, phones, iPads, laptops).
Psychologist Noosha Anzab explains that electronic devices emit a type of blue light that can disrupt your brain’s ability to create melatonin (“the hormone that regulates the sleep–wake cycle”). “So, even if you start to close your eyes or droop your eyelids whilst watching TV, your sleep will still be adversely affected.”
Furthermore, clutter and disorganization in your bedroom can disrupt your sleep without you realizing it. A messy room leads to longer sleep onset, as a cluttered environment affects mental calmness and sleep quality. Keeping your bedroom tidy or exploring storage solutions can promote better sleep.
Feng shui experts also do not recommend keeping anything under your bed, apart from sleep-related items like pillows (if necessary), as this can negatively impact sleep. Here is a checklist with further feng shui tips.
While these tips may be helpful for anyone, they can be particularly helpful if you have generalized anxiety and worry about bedroom clutter.
Sleep routines
Create a calming bedtime routine to signal to your body that it is time to wind down. Taking a warm bath, doing gentle yoga stretches, journaling, practicing relaxation techniques, or reading a book can all help to calm down the body if you struggle with an anxiety disorder.
Establishing a consistent sleep routine can help regulate your body’s internal clock and improve the quality of your sleep. This means setting a regular bedtime and wake-up time and sticking to it, even on weekends.
As previously explained, ensure that your bedtime routine does not include using electronic devices (unless you are briefly turning on a guided sleep meditation).
Research has found that using electronic devices for more than 30 minutes close to bedtime is linked to poorer sleep quality in university students.
Furthermore, declutter your bedroom, use calming colors, invest in comfortable bedding, and switch to warm lighting a couple of hours before bed.
Avoid the following as these can disrupt sleep:
- caffeine after midday (this can especially become a problem because caffeine can increase physiological responses seen in anxiety);
- alcohol six hours before bed;
- heavy meals two or three hours before bedtime.
By establishing a consistent sleep routine, you can help train your body to recognize when it is time to sleep and improve your overall sleep quality. This should mean you are feeling less anxious before you even get into bed and can have a calming night.
Journaling
Set aside time each evening to write down your worries, fears, and concerns in a journal. If you do not wish to keep a journal, you could write your thoughts on a piece of paper and then tear it up.
Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you:
- express and process emotions;
- release concerns from your mind;
- gain clarity;
- reduce the intensity of anxious thoughts;
- externalize your thoughts, making them feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker advocates for a science-backed technique called “expressive writing,” where you free-write your worries without judgment.
Try expressive writing now: Grab a piece of paper and write down any anxious thoughts that come into your head, no matter how trivial they may seem. Write down any words that are associated with your thoughts or emotions anywhere on the page.
Additionally, identify and challenge irrational or catastrophic thoughts commonly associated with GAD, such as excessive worry about future events or catastrophic thinking about worst-case scenarios.
Write down unhelpful thoughts, then challenge their validity with evidence and more positive interpretations. Use cognitive-behavioral techniques, such as reframing negative thoughts or finding evidence to dispute irrational beliefs.
An example of an unhelpful thought is “I will never find a job–I am a failure.” This could be challenged with something like, “this is just my anxiety talking. I have skills and experience, and setbacks are temporary.”
Tips for effective journaling:
- Set a timer. Write for 10-15 minutes, allowing your mind to flow freely without pressure.
- Choose a journal or app that can be kept private, safe and secure.
- Do not worry about grammar or perfection, just express yourself honestly.
Reading
Reading is a soothing and distracting activity to help calm anxiety at night. Engaging in a good book can transport your mind to a different world, providing an escape from the worries and stressors of daily life.
Research has found that reading before bed improves sleep quality.
Clinical Psychologist and Sleep Medicine Expert Dr. Michael Breus recommends choosing paperbacks and hardbacks to avoid blue light exposure. If you must use an e-reader, apply a blue light filter.
Set aside dedicated time before bed to unwind with a book in a comfortable and cozy environment, such as your favorite armchair or nestled under the covers.
Remember to dim the lights. Use a bedside lamp or reading app with warm lighting to avoid blue light exposure.
Choose reading material that is engaging but not overly stimulating or anxiety-inducing.
Avoid suspenseful thrillers, anything too emotionally charged, or intense subject matter that may heighten arousal or stimulate anxious thoughts. Instead, choose literature that captures your interest without triggering emotional arousal.
What to read:
- Fiction: Lighthearted genres like humor, romance, or cozy mysteries.
- Poetry: Soothing poems with calming imagery.
- Non-Fiction: Calming topics like nature, history, or biographies. Avoid self-help books that might trigger rumination.
Try this to get started: Take a look at the books you own that you have been meaning to read for a long time. Put a couple of these books by your bed to remind you to read them. Or have a browse online and make a reading list of books that you think would be suitable to read in bed.
Non-sleep deep rest
Dr. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford University neuroscience professor, coined the term “non-sleep deep rest.
Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) is a relaxation technique that induces a state of deep calmness and rest similar to sleep, but while awake.
It has been shown to provide mental and physical health benefits such as reducing stress, enhancing learning and memory, replacing lost sleep, and improving the ability to fall back asleep.
This technique is advocated by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, who runs through a guided protocol in this 10-minute meditation.
The steps to complete NSDR are:
- Sit or lie down comfortably where you won’t be disturbed
- Take deep breaths – long inhales and longer exhales
- Relax your body, feeling the contact with the surface beneath you
- Attend to sounds around you, starting with distant sounds and gradually shifting attention closer
- Visualize the space you are in with your eyes closed
- Bring awareness to your breathing and your whole physical body
- Systematically move attention through different body parts as named
- Return focus to breath flowing in and out
- Slowly open your eyes, notice the space around you, and gently move your hands and feet before getting up
In summary, NSDR uses breathwork, body awareness, visualization, and attention techniques to quickly induce a deeply relaxed yet awake restful state, providing regenerative health benefits.
When to seek additional help
If, despite your best efforts, anxiety continues to significantly impact your ability to sleep and function during the day, it may be time to seek additional help from a mental health professional.
Consider reaching out to a licensed therapist or psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders and sleep disorders.
A mental health professional can provide personalized guidance and treatment options, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (including CBT-I), medication management, or other evidence-based interventions.
Additionally, if you experience symptoms beyond sleep anxiety, such as irritability or difficulty concentrating, seeking professional help is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Seek help if:
- sleep anxiety significantly impacts your daily functioning;
- you have tried the techniques mentioned for a significant number of days or weeks, but they are not helping enough;
- your overall anxiety gets worse or you experience new symptoms like nocturnal panic attacks;
- you struggle with co-occurring conditions like depression or insomnia.
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