anxiety related sleep disorders


How Anxiety-Related Sleep Disorders Can Affect Your Life

Remy Jirek



Introduction
Anxiety related disorders could have an adverse effect on the quality of sleep for those who suffer from them. Contrary to reports that state that people who are depressed spend much of the time sleeping, depression can cause anxiety that can actually disrupt sleep. One such symptom is having anxiety attacks that happen prior to or during sleep. It is important to speak to a physician to effectively diagnose the condition and rule out the other illnesses that can imitate them. These range from alcoholism, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other serious diseases that should be treated accordingly.


Depression and Sleep

Many people get particularly anxious in the evening, finding they are left tired and sleepy yet unable to grasp what they desperately need. Many people suffering from depression find themselves with anxiety-related sleep disorders.

In addition, many people who suffer panic attacks or anxiety-related symptoms during the day don't realize they are depressed, whether or not they are experiencing anxiety-related sleep disorders. This is in contrast to the articles written that claim a major side effect of depression is constantly being tired or sleeping. Someone who has difficulty falling asleep at night, plagued with constant thoughts of gloom and doom, may not realize they are suffering from depression.

Many sufferers of panic attacks indicate that panic wakes them from sleep. This is a frightening feeling for anyone who has ever been awoken out of sleep due to a medical condition. A migraine can wake someone up, just as a panic attack can. Those who wake up from panic attacks also suffer panic attacks while going to sleep. Such anxiety-related sleep disorders can be frightening, and can cause havoc in a patient's life.

While anxiety-related sleep disorders are very real, symptoms can imitate other potential conditions that should be tested and ruled out. Alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, and Fibromyalgia are only a few of the diseases that can cause anxiety-related sleep disorders. It is terribly important that these all be ruled out; because the medication used to treat some diseases can actually do more harm than good if dealing with anxiety-related sleep disorders.

Once an anxiety disorder has been diagnosed, it is of further importance to determine whether the condition is a general condition or is induced from substance abuse, a medical condition, acute or posttraumatic stress disorder, or OCD. Once these possibilities have been explored, one can look to a psychiatrist or other provider for medication or homeopathic remedies for anxiety-related sleep disorders.

For patients with HIV/AIDS, clinicians are trained to determine whether someone is truly having an anxiety attack, or whether they are feeling anxious due to medical or other reasons. By determining the source of the anxiety, physicians and psychiatrists can prescribe the correct therapy and medication for sleep and other problems.

Patients suffering from Bipolar Disorder may experience a reduced need for sleep. This, combined with a panic disorder or depression, can have them spending all night worrying about why they aren't sleeping. They are creating their own anxiety-related sleep disorder and may require medication or counseling to get them through this difficult time.

More Sleeping Disorders Information:

How to Prevent Sleep Disorder in Toddlers
Alternatives to Sleep Disorder Medicine
Types and Causes of Insomnia Sleeping Disorder
Child Sleeping Disorders That Parents Should Be Aware Of
Learning About Sleeping and Eating Disorders