Why Is Anxiety Worse at Night? Anxiety can get worse at night as people find themselves focusing more on their worries once they are lying in bed without the distractions of the day. For example, sometimes people with insomnia may begin to develop worries about whether or not they will be able to fall asleep.
At night, there is less cortisol in your blood. As a result, your white blood cells readily detect and fight infections in your body at this time, provoking the symptoms of the infection to surface, such as fever, congestion, chills, or sweating. Therefore, you feel sicker during the night.
At night, our mind is a big open space. And when we're tired and our minds are left wide open, we're a lot more vulnerable to intrusive, anxious thoughts. If your nighttime anxiety is impacting your ability to function every day, consider seeking the help of a mental health professional.
Underlying factors may include genetics, stress and certain changes in the way parts of your brain work. In some cases, an underlying condition, such as a sleep disorder or thyroid problem, can cause panic-like signs and symptoms.
You can't regulate your emotions as well when you're fatigued, so any feeling (including sadness) gets harder to manage. Phone use: If you're a chronic late-night scroller, the impact on your mood is two-fold. Artifical light exposure at night can cause a depressed mood and make it harder to fall asleep.
According to Amanda Levinson, a licensed mental health counselor from the Neurofeedback & Counseling Center of Pennsylvania, “your anxious thoughts may occur (at night) because your brain has nothing else to do while you are falling asleep.”
Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of the dark. The name comes from the Greek word for night. Children and adults with nyctophobia may fear being alone in the dark.
1. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
Benzodiazepines used for the treatment of insomnia include lorazepam (Ativan), nitrazepam (Mogadon), oxazepam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion) and flurazepam (Dalmane). Another drug used for insomnia is zopiclone (Imovane). This drug is similar to benzodiazepines and has similar side-effects.
It makes sense to be afraid in the dark because we human beings are vulnerable at night. Your fear, anxiety, and rumination during those nighttime hours are the result of thousands of years of humans needing to be on high alert at night.
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.
Depression is a common mental health condition with a number of symptoms that can worsen at night. Increased feelings of depression at night could be the result of people having fewer distractions. Depression can lead to insomnia, which can increase frustration at night, further worsening the underlying depression.
Conditions like anxiety, depression, or burnout can all cause bouts of crying at night for seemingly no reason. However, nighttime can mean alone time for many people, which may leave room for thoughts to rise up that had been pushed under the surface due to the busyness of the day.
The stress and anxiety you are feeling can manifest as sleep-crying as your brain is working out the overwhelming tension that is going on in your life.
According to Dr. Elaine Aaron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, sensitive people tend to cry more easily than others. “Sensitive people can't help but express what they're feeling,” she told the Huffington Post.
If you have anxiety, medication can help because the medicines used for anxiety alter the chemicals in your body and brain, reducing symptoms, and often helping you calm down and focus on other things.
Overthinking can be an early indicator or symptom of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. To stop overthinking, you can try challenging your thoughts, reaching out to loved ones for support, or talking to a mental health professional for extra help.
1) Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Arachnophobia is the most common phobia – sometimes even a picture can induce feelings of panic. And lots of people who aren't phobic as such still avoid spiders if they can.