Sleep best tonic to fighting anxiety
Wind down properly for quality rejuvenation
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), anxiety disorder is characterised by the overwhelming fear and worry or the extreme feeling of nervousness and unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Anxiety disorders affect one in five South Africans every year and are linked to disorders such as panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
“There is a definite difference between feeling anxious and being clinically diagnosed with anxiety. Feeling anxious is a normal reaction to potentially stressful events and situations in our lives. It is part of our brains’ internal warning system that alerts us to danger and prepares our bodies to either ‘fight’, ‘take flight’ or ‘freeze’.
“Clinical anxiety that is diagnosed by a professional refers to anxiety that comes up unexpectedly and without an obvious reason. It is accompanied by feelings of being trapped in thoughts and feelings. People who have anxiety disorders may not be able to function normally and often lasts long after the situation has been resolved,” said life coach Neshica Bheem.
According to neurophysiologist Neera Bhikha, quality sleep is the key to addressing anxiety. “Anxiety often results in sleep and mood disorders, therefore learning to manage it results in better night time sleep and improving your daytime functioning.”
“Sleep is that golden thread that links our bodies to our wellbeing. We spend one third of our lives sleeping, so the quality of our sleep is just as essential to survive as food and water,” Bhikha said .
Bhikha believes that the sensory information overload from news outlets and social media could explain the rise in many of her patients’ complaints of insomnia and disruptions in their sleep.
“The most common disorders we have seen at the clinic are insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea. Some of these last for a period of 30 days, but they are due to the pandemic and now the unrest in our country. Anxiety related insomnia is completely treatable.”
Unaddressed trauma can have a significant impact in our everyday functioning, often manifesting itself in our lives as panic attacks, accelerated heart rates and distressing dreams.
“Trauma and sleep are strongly linked. When the brain anticipates a threat, it reacts quickly to protect itself by telling the body to release hormones that prepares it for stress. These reactions often result in anxiety. This can cause PTSD and often effects that mimic a patient that has had a traumatic experience.”
The importance of good quality sleep is a sentiment that Bheem fully shares.
“Insufficient sleep negatively affects our stress levels. A regular sleep routine relaxes, calms and restores the body. It improves our concentration, regulates moods, improves judgment and decision-making. Having these benefits of sleep, problem-solving is easier and we are better able to cope with anxiety when we are well-rested.”
For clinical psychologist Anele Siswana, the importance of getting the right amount of comfortable, relaxing and good quality sleep cannot be overemphasised. Eliminating all distractions and anything that may compromise our quality of sleep is vital.
“We often speak about the term ‘sleep hygiene’ and people can practice that through simple things like sleeping at the same time each day just to maintain that consistency. It also includes things like not drinking caffeine before bedtime,” he said.
“When we check our emails and answer our WhatsApp messages before we go to bed, we can trigger anxious thoughts and make it difficult for the brain to calm down. Have a wind down period in which you switch off all your screens. It is important to tailor your sleeping environment. Controlling the light, sound and temperature of the room can get you a good night’s sleep,” Bhikha added.
Ultimately, Siswana encourages self-help alternatives when finding ways to cope with anxiety and sleeping better at night.
“We often encourage therapy, but it is expensive and not everybody has access to it. People can look to alternative selfhelp methods such as reading up on how to cope with anxiety from reliable sources,” he said.