Anxiety Caused by Insomnia
Anxiety can be a frustrating condition. There are days where it can absolutely cripple your concentration and drain every ounce of energy from your body. You feel like your stuck in a cycle of worry and panic. While much has been done to study anxiety and the causes of this disease, a recent study points to chronic insomnia as a precursor to developing anxiety disorders.
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Chronic Insomnia
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When somebody has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early, they are exhibiting signs of insomnia. Of all the sleep disorders reported, insomnia is the most common. When you experience insomnia more nights than you don't over a period of three weeks, you have chronic insomnia. The causes of insomnia can be from psychological disease, such as anxiety and depression, or from physiological disease such as acid reflux and obstructive sleep apnea.
Anxiety
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Anxiety is excessive worry and panic more often than not for six months. Some signs of anxiety include irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and disturbed sleep. Anxiety, with its cycle of worry and panic, can certainly cause problems sleeping. Since new research has identified chronic insomnia as a possible cause of anxiety, it's important to evaluate your specific case with your doctor. Is the anxiety causing the insomnia or the insomnia causing the anxiety?
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Research
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A study by Dag Neckelmann, MD, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, found that chronic insomnia can increase one's chances of developing mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression. He collected data on 25,130 adults over a 10-year period. He was able to find significant associations between the development of anxiety and depression and long-term chronic insomnia.
Further Evidence
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When Dr. Neckelmann's findings were checked against other factors, such as age, gender and educational level, the findings were still upheld. The group of participants with chronic insomnia had an increased association with anxiety compared to the group who didn't suffer from chronic insomnia. According to Mark H. Pollack, MD, director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, a lack of sleep can result in people focusing on negative emotions. This focus on negative emotions can increase anxiety and depression.
Treatment
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Speak to your doctor concerning your treatment options if you suspect you have anxiety, chronic insomnia or a combination of both. Medicine is available for treatment of both disorders, and you may find a combination of medicine and psychotherapy brings about the best results over the long term. It's important to talk with your doctor and discuss your long-term goals and the steps that will help you get there to stop the cycle for good.
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