Does anxiety disorder cause insomnia?

Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
Updated on September 02, 2024
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Patients with anxiety disorders may experience symptoms of insomnia, primarily due to high sympathetic nervous excitement and hyperfunction of skeletal muscles. Therefore, patients may exhibit high alertness, difficulties falling asleep, frequent awakenings during sleep, or inability to fall back asleep after waking up. In such cases, clinically, anti-anxiety medications with sedative and hypnotic effects, such as benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drugs, or antidepressants with sedative effects, can be effectively used. Moreover, if anxiety disorder patients can self-adjust, such as through exercise, they may also improve their sleep conditions to some extent.

Other Voices

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Written by Li Xiao Jie
Internal Medicine
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What should women do about insomnia and frequent dreams?

For women with insomnia and frequent dreams, the specific age group should be considered. If the women are in menopause, it's related to a decrease in estrogen secretion. In such cases, hormone medications can be appropriately used, but it is necessary to visit the gynecology department for professional guidance from a doctor and not to blindly use hormone medications on one’s own. For younger women, it’s often caused by nervous exhaustion. Daily mental stress, or taking oral medications can address this issue, such as using Anshen Bunao liquid, Wuweizi granules, Bailemian, etc., which all have effective treatment results. Additionally, one can drink milk before bedtime, soak feet in hot water, listen to soothing music, etc., and try to avoid looking at phones or watching TV.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Can excessive dampness cause insomnia?

If excessive dampness is present, it can generally cause insomnia and other adverse reactions, such as numbness throughout the body, general weakness, memory decline, and poor gastrointestinal digestion, which can all lead to symptoms. Therefore, it is first necessary to help expel the dampness to achieve effective improvement. For instance, regularly consuming foods like Chinese yam, barley, dates, and red beans can greatly aid in expelling dampness and improving symptoms. It is also important to engage in regular physical activities, which can help expel dampness. Additionally, methods like steam sauna, warm water foot baths, and cupping can also help expel dampness and alleviate symptoms.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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How to deal with insomnia and frequent dreams due to qi deficiency?

For insomnia and frequent dreaming caused by qi deficiency, it is crucial to pay more attention to rest and maintain sufficient sleep, avoiding staying up late. You can soak your feet in warm water before sleeping, as this process can accelerate the metabolism in the body and promote blood circulation, which can effectively improve the symptoms of insomnia and frequent dreaming, and also relieve some symptoms caused by qi deficiency. Alternatively, acupuncture under the guidance of a qualified physician can also achieve good relief, or you can eat more qi-nourishing foods in your daily diet.

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Written by Liu Shi Xiang
Neurology
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What should I do about insomnia and frequent dreams? What are the methods to treat insomnia and frequent dreams?

The methods for treating insomnia and frequent dreaming mainly include the following: Firstly, patients should try adjusting their lifestyle and diet to treat insomnia and frequent dreaming. For instance, patients can drink a small amount of milk, honey water, or herbal tea before bed. They can also listen to some slow rhythm light music before sleeping, which helps to relax nerves and muscles, promoting sleep. Patients can also soak their feet in hot water and massage their temples before bed. These physical treatments can also help improve sleep. Most patients generally see an improvement in their insomnia and dreaming after adjusting their diet and lifestyle. If these adjustments still leave the patient suffering from insomnia and frequent dreaming, they can use a small amount of sedative and sleep-inducing medications to improve sleep. Common drugs include zopiclone, eszopiclone, and zolpidem. Furthermore, psychotherapy can also help to some extent in improving the situation of insomnia and frequent dreaming.

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Written by Yuan Chun Yun
Geriatrics
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What to do about insomnia?

Interventions for insomnia mainly include pharmacological treatment and non-pharmacological treatment. For patients with acute insomnia, it is advisable to use pharmacological treatment early. For patients with subacute or chronic insomnia, whether primary or secondary, psychological behavior therapy should be used in conjunction with pharmacological treatment. The essence of psychological behavior therapy is to change the patient's belief system and enhance their self-efficacy, thereby improving symptoms of insomnia. To achieve this goal, the involvement of professional physicians is often necessary. Psychological behavior therapy is effective for both primary and secondary insomnia in adults, and typically includes sleep hygiene education, stimulus control therapy, sleep restriction therapy, cognitive therapy, and relaxation therapy. These methods may be used alone or in combination for the treatment of primary or secondary insomnia in adults.