For sleep anxiety, a healthcare professional may recommend a combination of lifestyle changes, therapy, and sometimes medication or supplements. It is essential to consult with a doctor before starting any new treatment, as some options have potential side effects or can be habit-forming.
Benzodiazepines: Doctors prescribe benzodiazepines to treat insomnia or anxiety that is disabling, severe, and causing extreme distress. Diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and triazolam (Halcion) are examples of benzodiazepines.
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that tells us when it's time to sleep and wake up, but some people don't produce enough of it, Dr. Madrak explains. “It's often used for insomnia, but can also help reduce negative feelings associated with anxiety (that keep us awake at night).”
How can I prevent sleep anxiety?
Best OTC Sleep Aids and Pills
Sleep aids available without a prescription are widely available. Common choices and the potential side effects include: Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine.
For pure sleep induction, Nytol is generally more effective, while Kalms is better for anxiety-related sleep issues. The choice depends on whether your sleep problems are primarily due to inability to fall asleep or anxiety-related restlessness.
Another common cause of sleep anxiety is sleep disorders. This is because sleep disorders make it harder to both fall and stay asleep, which can make a person anxious about sleeping. Sleep disorders associated with causing sleep anxiety include insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and sleepwalking.
These drugs raise levels of brain GABA neurotransmitters causing sleepiness, allowing people to sleep better, relax muscles, relieve anxiety, and can also treat epilepsy. This class of medications includes alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, and lorazepam, available in short- and long-acting forms.
How to Manage Anxiety-Related Insomnia
Celexa. Overall, Celexa seems to be one of the best tolerated SSRIs for many people. It tends to cause less weight gain and may have a lower risk of causing insomnia than some SSRIs. It also has fewer drug interactions, which can be helpful if you're taking other medications.
Cortisol is usually lower at night to help prepare the body for sleep. But in people with anxiety, this rhythm can get disrupted. If your cortisol levels remain high or spike in the evening, it can leave you feeling restless or wired when you should be winding down.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help you control or stop negative thoughts and actions that keep you awake. It's usually recommended as the first treatment for people with insomnia. Typically, CBT is as effective or more effective than sleep medicines.
If you have insomnia, you may want to talk to your provider about a Xanax substitute like trazodone to help aid in sleep. It is a melatonin receptor agonist, which helps to balance chemicals in the brain.
For those who only need relief during specific events, propranolol can be a game-changer, as this is a good alternative to riskier medications like Xanax, Klonopin and Valium which are often used for in the moment anxiety control.
Benzodiazepines are a group of structurally-related compounds that reduce anxiety when given at low doses and induce sleep at higher doses. Clinical guidelines generally recommend to prescribe benzodiazepines to treat anxiety or insomnia that is severe, disabling and causing extreme distress.
Sleep anxiety is worry or fear about going to bed, or about falling or staying asleep. It's kind of like stage fright, but for sleeping. And for some people, sleep anxiety can become so severe that it actually starts to get in the way of daily life. But here's the good news: Sleep anxiety is common and treatable.
Technically, there are no anti-anxiety medications available over-the-counter. Medications that impact the brain must be taken with extreme care, which is why they are only available as a prescription and under the supervision of a qualified health provider.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
Sleep anxiety means an individual has fear or worries surrounding going to bed. This could look like being fearful of not falling asleep or worrying about being able to stay asleep. For some, it may be just anxiety but for others it could be anxiety paired with a co-occurring sleep disorder like insomnia.
Antidepressants: Certain antidepressants can be effective in treating anxiety and racing thoughts. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used. Antihistamines: Some over-the-counter antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®), can have a sedating effect and may be used to help with sleep.
The best over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids often rely on sedating antihistamines like diphenhydramine (ZzzQuil, Benadryl) and doxylamine (Unisom SleepTabs) for short-term use, while melatonin helps regulate sleep cycles, and herbal options like valerian root or chamomile offer milder, natural approaches, though their effectiveness varies. These options work differently, with antihistamines causing drowsiness, melatonin adjusting your internal clock, and herbs promoting relaxation, but all should be used cautiously due to potential side effects or dependency, with antihistamines being especially problematic for older adults.
Kalms Night tablets are an effective way to get a good night's sleep. The active ingredient is valerian root which is a traditional herbal remedy used for many years as a natural sedative. Most patients find them effective within 2 weeks of starting.
10 hours before bed: No more caffeine. 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers).